Derek Lalonde talks job security as coach of Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde, Dec. 21, 2024 in Montreal.
- Former Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde has been hired as an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- Lalonde was fired by the Red Wings in December 2024 after a disappointing start to the season.
- He previously won two Stanley Cups as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Detroit Red Wings will see plenty of their former bench boss next season, as Derek Lalonde has landed a job with an Atlantic Division rival.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced via social media Friday that Lalonde has been hired as an assistant coach. The move comes a little more than five months after general manager Steve Yzerman relieved Lalonde of his duties during the Christmas break, saying the team was “zapped” of energy.
Lalonde, 52, was previously an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Lalonde went 89-86-23 with the Wings, starting in 2022-23 and lasting till midway through 2024-25. While with the Lightning from 2018-19 to 2021-22, Lalonde won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.
He also coached internationally with the United States, working as an assistant coach at the IIHF World Championships in both 2023 and 2024.
Lalonde was Yzerman’s first coaching hire since being named GM in April 2019, and their history with the Lightning, where Yzerman previously was GM, played a big factor in the hiring. Yzerman cited Lalonde’s “experience, his background as a coach, his style of coaching, his personality, his way with people” when the announcement was made in July 2022.
As the Wings faltered in the first half this season, though, Yzerman decided it was time to make a coaching change, and replaced Lalonde with Todd McLellan.
Lalonde will now join Leafs coach Craig Berube’s bench staff beginning next season.
Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
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