'It's time': Derek Lalonde excited for new chapter, challenge in Detroit

Derek Lalonde knows a thing or two about what it takes to build a championship-caliber NHL team.

Lalonde spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he helped head coach Jon Cooper guide the club to four straight postseason berths and three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances, including back-to-back titles in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
And after he was introduced as the 28th head coach in Detroit Red Wings history on Friday morning, Lalonde said he's ready to apply what he learned as a first-time NHL head coach.
"I just think the timing of this, the growth and the things I've learned throughout the way, it's perfect," Lalonde said in his introductory press conference at Little Caesars Arena. "It's time, and I'm very excited about this opportunity, the next challenge in my career."
Watch: Welcome Detroit Red Wings Head Coach Derek Lalonde
Sitting alongside Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman and Red Wings governor, president and CEO Christopher Ilitch, Lalonde spoke to the media on topics ranging from his experience in Tampa Bay, his growth as a coach and the personality he wants to bring to Hockeytown.
"I want to win," Lalonde said. "There's no doubt about it. I probably don't accept this position if I don't see winning somewhere along the way, down the road or being a big part of that."
According to Yzerman, Lalonde "knows what it takes."
"Derek's personality, the way he runs his program, the environment he wants to create at all the stops along the way - whether it was in Green Bay, Toledo, Iowa or being part of a very successful organization in Tampa - for all the things I was looking at, he ultimately became the best fit for our team, where we are and where I'm hoping to go with it," Yzerman said. "By no means is Derek just a player's coach who is gonna be a good guy and all that."
Prior to his time with the Lightning, Lalonde was a head coach for the Minnesota Wild's American Hockey League-affiliate, the Iowa Wild, Detroit's East Coast Hockey League-affiliate Toledo Walleye and the United States Hockey League's Green Bay Gamblers.
Before making his head coaching debut, Lalonde also served as an assistant coach at the University of Denver, Ferris State University, Hamilton College and Lebanon Valley College. Lalonde started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
"In the end, Derek really stood out as the right coach to have behind the bench for the Detroit Red Wings," Ilitch said. "He's got a wealth of hockey knowledge and has been extremely successful at all levels, including in the NHL with the two-time Stanley Cup-champion Tampa Bay Lightning."

With two-plus decades of experience across several levels of hockey, Lalonde understands the value of trusting a strategic process.
"I've always had an approach throughout my career," Lalonde said. "It was never about getting to the NHL or being at the next level. I concentrated on where I was and wanting to be great in the position I was."
Most recently, that mindset helped Lalonde and the Lightning accomplish historic NHL feats.
"We got great in Tampa when we literally just started focusing on the process," the new Red Wings coach said. "I know it sounds like such a cliché, but to sit there and talk about making the playoffs and where we're gonna be or putting a number on wins is foolish, can hurt you and go in the wrong way."

As a former Division III collegiate goaltender, Lalonde knows hockey players face an array of challenges. And as a coach, he knows how to help players overcome those obstacles to reach their full potential.
"Good players want to be held accountable," he said. "You have to hold them accountable, and we'll hold them accountable here."
The Brasher Falls, N.Y., native added he wants to establish a culture in the dressing room right away.
"I talk about it being a partnership," Lalonde said. "My success has been through relationships. I want to get to know them and I want to talk about some of their expectations that they have, the expectations they have individually and as a team, to get to know their why."
Having coached extensively against the Red Wings over the past four seasons, Lalonde is excited to guide a roster filled with young talent.
"You see these guys play and the impact they make at such a young age, it's very exciting," Lalonde said. "Obviously, not all the pieces are there but at the same time, there's some exciting pieces to build around."

Looking ahead to the 2022-23 campaign, Yzerman is confident Lalonde can help bring a winning culture back to Detroit.
"This is a great opportunity for us to bring in a coach with tremendous experience as a head coach at various levels and coaching as part of a very good staff and a very good program," Yzerman said. "I expect him to do things his way, not necessarily the Tampa Bay Lightning way or the Jon Cooper way. I've hired Derek to do it his way and I think he's bright enough and gotten to where he's gotten to by adjusting, learning and growing from his experience."