EAST LANSING- Today the Detroit Red Wings announced that head coach Derek Lalonde and associate coach Bob Boughner had been relieved of their coaching duties.
This move had been expected and cried out for by the Red Wings fanbase after a disastrous start to the season. The Red Wings are currently 13-17-4 on the season after the hope and promise for the Wings to break the playoff drought that has been ongoing since 2016.
The Red Wings amassed a 7-9-2 record at home after Wings fans had shown up all season to support this team and kickstart a run toward the playoffs, but nothing changed.
With only 30 points from 34 games and sitting second to last in the Eastern Conference standings, key players struggling to contribute, a lack of identity on the ice, and a fanbase getting restless, the end looked near.
A disappointing and disheartening 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues at Little Ceasars Arena on December 23, sealed Lalonde’s fate.
As the team was leaving the ice, they were met with a chorus of Boos from the crowd as they left.
“When you play at home on a big night like tonight with the holidays coming up, a great crowd, and we didn’t give them any reason to cheer and have a good night. We feel it. They were frustrated as well.” Captain Dylan Larkin said in a statement after the game.
With Lalonde gone, a new head coach has already been named Todd McLellan as he becomes the 29th head coach in Red Wings franchise history and he brings a wealth of experience to the Wings.
He served as an assistant coach under Mike Babcock during his tenure with the Wings winning the Stanley Cup in 2008. After his time with the Red Wings, he would leave and go on to be a head coach in the NHL.
McLellan has been a head coach for three different franchises serving as the head man for the Sharks, Oilers, and Kings guiding all those teams to the playoffs in his time there. Reaching as far as the conference finals as a head coach and having an overall record of 598-412-134.
McLellan brings experience and respect to the Wings and the locker room which is sorely needed. The Wings look to start the Todd McLellan era off right on December 27 against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs at Little Ceasars Arena. Welcome back to Detroit Todd McLellan.
