Former Toledo Walleye coach Derek Lalonde will have his name etched on the Stanley Cup after the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night.
Lalonde, who is an assistant coach with the Lightning, coached the Walleye for two seasons (2014-16).
The 48-year-old was hired by the Lighting prior to the 2018-19 season. Tampa Bay defeated the Stars 4 games to 2 in the final. The Lightning clinched the series with a 2-0 win in the NHL bubble in Edmonton on Monday.
Lalonde spearheaded the rise of the Walleye organization into an elite ECHL franchise, bringing what he called “a culture of success” to the team.
Lalonde led Toledo to a 97-35-12 record in his two seasons as head coach. He guided the Walleye to back-to-back ECHL Eastern Conference and North Division regular-season championships.
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 the Brabham Cup as the regular-season champion. It also marked the greatest turnaround in ECHL history.
Lalonde then led the Walleye to a second consecutive playoff berth and a 47-20-5 record in his final season with the team.
Lalonde was a relative unknown when he came to Toledo from the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League. In 2011-12, he led the Gamblers to a 47-9-4 record and the league title.
In his first season with the Walleye posted a 58-point improvement from the previous season — a record that likely will never be broken.
In the summer of 2016, Lalonde was named 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.
The Walleye have not missed the playoffs since Lalonde's arrival with Lalonde's former assistant, Dan Watson, taking over the helm.
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 Detroit Red Wings team for the most wins in a season. Tampa Bay went 62-16-4 for 128 points, falling just short of the NHL record of 132 points set by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens (60-8-12).
The Lightning were then stunningly eliminated in the first round when they were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the playoffs last season. Tampa Bay exacted revenge by bouncing the Blue Jackets out of the playoffs this season, winning 4 games to 1 in the first round. The Lighting then beat the Boston Bruins (4-1) and New York Islanders (4-2) to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
Lalonde told The Blade last summer 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 September 29, 2020, 2:58 a.m.