Lalonde is more than a quarter of the way through his first season leading the Red Wings (12-7-5; 29 points) after spending the previous four years as an assistant coach with the Lightning (15-8-1; 31 points). During his tenure in Tampa Bay, Lalonde helped the franchise to four straight postseason appearances, highlighted by back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.
"A beautiful, wonderful opportunity,"
Lalonde said about his experience with the Lightning.
"Them hiring me was my first opportunity in the league. Obviously, just the memories, friendships, relationships and Stanley Cups. It will always be a special spot."
According to Lalonde, his success in Tampa Bay helped him evolve as a coach.
"The growth we had to do, the transformation we had to make from good to great and how we had to manage our game and hold some of our players accountable in different areas of their game," Lalonde said. "A little more team over self and a little more sacrifice in some things. I think that helped me immensely as a coach."
Detroit capped off a weekend back-to-back with a 4-2 road win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. Four different players scored for the Red Wings, who are 6-0-2 this season when scoring at least four goals. Dominik Kubalik, who notched his team-leading 10th goal and fifth power-play tally of the season on Sunday, continues to pace Detroit with 12 power-play points (5-7--12) through 24 games.
