Former Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde—fired in December not quite halfway through his third season behind the bench—appeared as a guest on "The Cam & Strick Podcast," discussing his time in Detroit and working with general manager Steve Yzerman.
Dec 20, 2023; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde gestures in the third period against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. (James Carey Lauder, Imagn Images)
As for the firing itself and the timing (coming just one day after Christmas), Lalonde said, "You could feel it was uncomfortable...It's pro hockey, man," citing the cutthroat nature of the business (for coaches in particular).
Lalonde also pointed out that there was a sense coming out of the offseason that things hadn't exactly gone according to plan. "To no one's fault, our summer was what it was, but we lose Shayne Gostisbehere, we lose Jake Walman, we lose David Perron, just things didn't go our way around July 1," he said. This set the stage for the slow start to the season that would eventually lead to Lalonde's firing.
Describing the emotion of being let go, Lalonde returned again to the idea that the NHL is not a league in which coaches tend to enjoy long tenures. "It stings a little bit because it's your first time, but the reality is, because of the landscape, I was the 27th coach fired under three years, and we're into the low 30s now before the three-year cycle," he said. "It's almost the reality of it, and then the unique thing is the guys. They were phenomenal, and they go on a heater. They had two seven-game win streaks, and I get the question all the time, did that hurt you? And I'm like absolutely not, because you root for [Dylan] Larkin, you root for Mo Seider, you root for Lucas Raymond...Those guys played hard for me, so it's more about the relationships."
Asked about what it was like to watch the remainder of Detroit's season play out without him, Lalonde said, "They fell apart completely, the wheels completely fell off, and my buddies we're sending me Dr. Evil smiling emojis. I'm like no. I feel even worse for Larkin, because I've been there with him, and here they go again, they fell apart."
Lalonde was also asked about the controversial trade that sent Walman out of town, and he said, "I really liked coaching the kid...I just think it was maybe a bigger plan on what they were trying to do." Lalonde cited his relationship with Walman's college coach (Nate Leaman at Providence, with whom Lalonde played his college hockey) as helping lay a foundation for working with Walman. That trade remains something of a mystery and sore spot for Wings fans, but Lalonde's answer (and lack of detail) offers one more piece of evidence that Yzerman simply made up his mind that Walman had to go, also hinting that not everything else that was supposed to come from the deal fell into place according to plan.
Overall, Lalonde described himself as "very appreciative" of working with Yzerman and for the opportunity to become an NHL head coach for the first time, saying he was "grateful I got three years with him because he made me a ton better. Not the most comfortable in that time, but he made me better, and that's all you can ask."
