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Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Derek Lalonde, in center, and head coach Jon Cooper talk with players on the ice during Lightning playoff training camp at Amalie Arena on July 14, 2020 in Tampa.
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From Toledo to Tampa, former Walleye coach Lalonde becomes NHL champion

Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times

From Toledo to Tampa, former Walleye coach Lalonde becomes NHL champion

Former Toledo Walleye coach Derek Lalonde became known for his infectious positivity in his two years here, and that upbeat personality played a key role in the Tampa Bay Lightning's remarkable run to the Stanley Cup championship.

Known as a players coach with the Walleye (2014-16), Lalonde worked his way up to an assistant coaching position with the NHL franchise. On Monday, the 48-year-old hoisted the Stanley Cup as Tampa Bay became the first team to win the coveted trophy in an isolated bubble.

“It was certainly special,” Lalonde said. “It's been surreal. I probably still haven't soaked it all completely in. But it's starting to come around — how special this run has been.”

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Lalonde said he was finally able to take a breath while enjoying a beer with Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper at their favorite watering hole in Tampa on Thursday.

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“It was such a non-stop process, playing every other day in the bubble. You're locked into the process the whole time,” Lalonde said. “So, to finally win it … it was such a unique situation. We would have loved to have had family and friends there, which is obviously very traditional when you win the Stanley Cup. But it was an interesting, exciting experience to get the ultimate prize.”

Lalonde, who spearheaded the rise of the Walleye organization into an elite ECHL franchise and led the 2014-15 team to the greatest turnaround in league history, spent 65 days in the NHL bubble — first in Toronto and then Edmonton. The charismatic leader emerged a champion after the Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 4 games to 2 in the Final.

“It's an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life,” he said. “It's something you always dream about as a kid. You don't know if it will ever become real. The path that I took was not traditional. I never played in the National Hockey League. Every job I've taken, it was never about the end product. It was just about getting better. Then, when you finally get the chance to raise the Cup, it's surreal.”

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The cheers reverberated around Toledo when Lalonde lifted the Cup.

“What an awesome moment,” said current Walleye forward Kyle Bonis, who played for Lalonde in Toledo. “A great hockey man got rewarded for hard work. It was a special thing to see. What a personality. Coach Lalonde always had the pulse of the locker room. He always knew what the team as a whole needed to be the best.”

Toledo forward Shane Berschbach started his pro career under Lalonde with the Walleye and is the organization's leader in nearly every statistical category.

“It was awesome. He's a great guy. I couldn't be happier for him,” Berschbach said. “He trusted his players. He was very laid back and open and honest with everyone.”

Lalonde, a native of Brasher Falls, N.Y., came to Toledo from the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League and earned ECHL coach of the year after guiding the Walleye to a 50-15-7 record and a Brabham Cup as the regular-season champions in 2014-15.

Lalonde led the Walleye to a 97-35-12 record and two division titles. That earned him a job as the head coach of the Iowa Wild of the higher-level American Hockey League.

“Part of the reason I was hired on [the Tampa Bay] staff was my personality, my positiveness, and my upbeat-ness around the room,” he said. “I want to be infectious around the crew and be that personality in the room.”

Lalonde said each of the players, coaches, and staff members had a couple of tough moments in the bubble.

“We all had our ups and downs. We all felt that, and we all picked each other up when we had those days,” Lalonde said.

Lalonde said outside support, including text messages and calls of support from his Toledo connections, also were instrumental.

“The connection I have with Toledo is real. I have some good, close friends there,” Lalonde said. “It was great to see the support on social media from the people in the community. I felt that support. It was awesome to see that.”

Lalonde said the most difficult aspect of staying in the bubble was being away from his wife, Melissa, and his sons, Alex (14) and Luke (12), and daughter, Abby (10).

The solution was many minutes on FaceTime.

“My daughter is 10. We were talking about 12 times a day. The guys were almost mocking me,” Lalonde said. “I would just keep the phone on. They could be brushing their teeth. They would just be hanging out or doing their homework or playing video games. I'd just keep the FaceTime on and we wouldn't even say anything to each other. I would just ask them to keep the phone on. It was a little awkward at first, but it became a routine. When you talk about sacrifices ...”

In the Toronto bubble, there was some downtime during the preliminary rounds. Lalonde said he would go for a three to four-mile run every day.

“Those were actually the toughest days,” he said. “But when you are playing every other day, it's kind of like groundhog day. But it was a true bubble in a lot of aspects. We'd drive to the arena and we were right on the lake-shore. We'd see people on the water and biking. That kind of stirred some feelings. It was like, 'Man it would be nice to be out there.' But we were in a bubble driving from A to B. There were some challenges, no doubt. But I would not pass it up for anything.”

Road to redemption

Last season, the Lightning tied the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for the most wins in a season as they went 62-16-4. Tampa Bay was stunningly eliminated in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs when they were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Lightning exorcised their demons with a five-game series victory over the Blue Jackets in the first round.

“I couldn't be more impressed or happy with the guys. You never know how you're going to react to adversity. There was some nervous tension,” he said. “And then we get Columbus. We saw how good they looked against Toronto. It was awesome to see the boys pull through in that series.”

Tampa then knocked out the Boston Bruins, who had won the Presidents' Trophy, in five games in the second round, and eliminated the New York Islanders in six games in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Lightning went 7-0 in games following a loss, and were without all-star forward Steven Stamkos for most of the playoffs.

“Once we started to believe it, there were no-doubters and we fed off of that. Anything we asked of the guys, they pulled through,” Lalonde said. “It was neat to watch.”

Along the remarkable run, the Lightning went 12-3 in one-goal games. They also played the most overtime minutes in NHL postseason history, going 7-2 in OTs that totaled 221 minutes and 14 seconds.

“Everyone stepped it up a notch,” Lalonde said. “Whether it was a superstar taking it to another level or role guys fitting into their roles. There was a lot of outside noise to it. But for the guys to execute like that made it that more special.”

Lalonde said the coaches and players weren't sure what kind of celebration to expect when they returned to Tampa in the middle of the pandemic.

“From when we landed, the reception we had … we took a trolly to the arena and the people were lining the streets,” Lalonde said. “The organization here is first-class and how they pulled it off was amazing.”

The celebration also included a boat parade and a gathering at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the NFL Buccaneers.

“My family all got to be a part of it, and it could not have gone any better,” he said. “To be away from them for so long and being back with them with the Stanley Cup was so rewarding.”

Bonis said Lalonde “changed everything” within the Walleye organization along with current coach Dan Watson, who was Lalonde's assistant.

“He laid the foundation, and coach Watson has taken that and elevated it every year,” Bonis said. “We are so lucky as players to have had played under both coaches.”

Former Walleye forward Alden Hirschfeld, who is now an assistant coach with the team, said Lalonde is a great coach and an even better person.

“He and Watty turned the Walleye into what we are today,” Hirschfeld said. “He brought in character guys who bought into playing as a team versus individuals and leaving it all on the ice. He cared about his players on the ice but off the ice as well.”

Berschbach said every player knew what their roles were on the team under Lalonde.

“He expected everyone to play within their role, which would ultimately lead to success,” Berschbach said. “I give him a ton of credit for instilling that mentality into the city and players of Toledo — that this is a special place to live and play and should be taken full advantage of.”

First Published October 3, 2020, 9:44 p.m.

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Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Derek Lalonde, in center, and head coach Jon Cooper talk with players on the ice during Lightning playoff training camp at Amalie Arena on July 14, 2020 in Tampa.  (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times)
Former Toledo Walleye head coach Derek Lalonde watches from the bench with players Troy Schwab (9) and Alden Hirschfeld in 2015.  (Blade)
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