Steve Yzerman reflects on hiring of Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde

Detroit Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman wasn't going to rush arguably the most important decision of this offseason.

When speaking to the media alongside new head coach Derek Lalonde and Red Wings governor, president and CEO Christopher Ilitch last Friday, Yzerman explained his strategy while determining the best fit behind the Red Wings' bench.
"I went through the process and slowly worked my way down to a small group of guys that would be a really good fit," Yzerman said in Lalonde's introductory press conference at Little Caesars Arena. "Based on a little research and doing a little bit of homework, the more I looked into it, the more I realized Derek was a really good fit for this job. 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."

This summer in particular, there have been several head coaching candidates for NHL teams to choose from. And according to Yzerman, he considered all levels of experience.
"Two things that I focused on were, do I go with an experienced, former head coach or one that's available?" Yzerman said. "Or do I go with a fresher face, someone who's ready to take that next step to the NHL?"
Yzerman's search led him to Lalonde, who spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Lalonde helped head coach Jon Cooper guide the Lightning to four straight postseason appearances and three straight Stanley Cup Final berths, including back-to-back titles in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
With success as a head coach for the Minnesota Wild's American Hockey League-affiliate Iowa Wild, Detroit's East Coast Hockey League-affiliate Toledo Walleye and United States Hockey League's Green Bay Gamblers, Lalonde's experience stood out to Yzerman.
"The more I looked into it, the more I was thinking this is a person who's a really good fit for this job," Yzerman said. "There's people, whether it be players, people in the front office or people around the city that vouch for Derek and really know him."

Yzerman, who was the Lightning's general manager from 2010-18, was introduced to Lalonde while on a scouting trip in Green Bay and later promoted the 49-year-old to Cooper's staff in Tampa Bay.
"Looking at his resume, getting references, background checks and speaking with Derek, I really understood his values as a man and as a coach," Yzerman said. "Where we're at as a team, it seemed like this was a great opportunity to bring in a coach with tremendous experience at various levels and part of a very good staff and a very good program."
Yzerman added he had to be patient for Lalonde to become available following this year's Stanley Cup Final between the Lightning and Colorado Avalanche.
"It was a little bit of a unique process this year in being able to speak with Derek and interview him," Yzerman said. "With him going all the way to Game 6 of the finals, we had to be very respectful to him doing his job and the Lightning organization."
For Lalonde, who admitted he didn't sleep much throughout the postseason, the interview process with the Red Wings "happened fast and happened intense."
"Already, I was probably working on four or five hours of sleep, and then Steve called," Lalonde said. "Then sleeping got less."

Lalonde noted a recurring theme throughout the interview process with the Red Wings.
"Steve was very clear the whole interview that this is gonna take some time," Lalonde said. "We're building the right way, but it's gonna be a process."
And now, as the 28th head coach in franchise history, Lalonde is focused on carrying out that theme to guide a promising young core to success.
"For me, it's going to be the process in some obvious things - our team defense, special teams improvement," the new Red Wings head coach said. "But if we take care of the process in doing the little things, if our team defense improves through our stopping on pucks habits, our risk in our game, our management of the puck, then we'll be improved and hopefully that takes care of itself."