Former Toledo Walleye coach Derek Lalonde has been named the next head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, team executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced on Thursday.
Lalonde, 49, led the Walleye for two successful seasons in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Lalonde most recently was an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who reached the Stanley Cup Finals three consecutive seasons.
UPDATE: Detroit #RedWings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman today announced that the team has named Derek Lalonde the 28th head coach in franchise history.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 30, 2022
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The native of Brasher Falls, N.Y. became a hot coaching commodity after he was named the ECHL coach of the year in 2015 after his first season with the Walleye. Lalonde led Toledo to a 50-15-7 record and to the Brabham Cup as the regular-season champions. He also guided that Toledo team to the greatest turnaround in ECHL history.
Lalonde spearheaded the rise of the Walleye organization into an elite ECHL franchise, bringing what he called “a culture of success” to the team. Toledo has not missed the playoffs since Lalonde's first season.
The Walleye are the ECHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.
Lalonde also had a connection with Yzerman. Lalonde joined the Tampa Bay Lightning coaching staff prior to the 2018-19 season when Yzerman was the general manager of that NHL club.
“I'm thrilled to be named head coach of the Red Wings,” Lalonde said. “I'd like to thank Chris Ilitch and the entire Ilitch family, as well as Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings management team for entrusting me with the opportunity to lead this historic franchise. I'm ready to get to work with our group. There's a very bright future ahead in Detroit.”
Yzerman made the announcement that Lalonde would be the 28th coach in the history of the storied franchise on Thursday.
“He has proven himself as an excellent coach at every level and has spent the last four seasons in the National Hockey League as part of a very successful program in Tampa Bay,” Yzerman said. “We feel he is ready to take the next step in his career as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.”
Lalonde then helped lead Tampa Bay to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. The Lightning also reached the finals this season but fell 4 games to 2 to Colorado with the Avalanche clinching the title on Sunday.
The Red Wings fired coach Jeff Blashill, who had a 204-261-72 record in seven seasons, on April 30. Lalonde's name quickly became one as a possible replacement. However, the Red Wings could not interview Lalonde until Tampa Bay's playoff run concluded.
Lalonde led Toledo to a 97-35-12 record in his two seasons as head coach. He guided the Walleye to the Eastern Conference finals in his first season.
Current Walleye coach Dan Watson, who served as an assistant under Lalonde for his two seasons in Toledo, said he will be a great fit for the Red Wings organization.
“I think it’s amazing,” Watson said. “I know how he operates and how he will be great for the Detroit organization. I'm very happy for him and his family. He’s a winner.”
Lalonde was a relative unknown when he came to Toledo from the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League to take over the reins of the Walleye organization. In 2011-12, he led the Gamblers to a 47-9-4 record and the league title.
In his first season with the Walleye, the team captured the Brabham Cup as the regular-season champions of the ECHL. Toledo's 58-point improvement from the previous season is a record that likely will never be broken.
In the summer of 2016, Lalonde left Toledo to become the head coach of the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League. His .715 winning percentage in his first stop in the pro ranks in Toledo earned him the job as head man in the higher-level AHL.
After spending two seasons at Iowa, Lalonde joined the staff of coach Jon Cooper at Tampa Bay. In his first season there, the Lightning tied the 1995-96 Red Wings team for the most wins in a season. Tampa Bay went 62-16-4 for 128 points, falling just short of one the NHL record of 132 points set by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens (60-8-12).
Lalonde told The Blade in 2020 that he has a special place in his heart for Toledo and the Walleye.
“It's an unbelievable organization. It's first-class,” Lalonde said. “I root for that organization — more than you could ever know. The people there are phenomenal.”
Lalonde also credited his time in Toledo with helping him advance his career.
“I grew immensely after taking that job,” he said. “I was intrigued by the challenge of turning it around in Toledo. It's a great memory of mine. I do reflect on it and appreciate what we did there.”
First Published June 30, 2022, 10:14 p.m.