DETROIT — It’s been a whirlwind summer for Derek Lalonde.
On June 26, Lalonde was at Amalie Arena for Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, serving as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Five days later, He was introduced at Little Caesars Arena as the 28th head coach in Detroit Red Wings history. Then on July 7, Lalonde was with Detroit’s brass at the Bell Center in Montreal for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Lalonde’s busy schedule continued after the draft, as the 50-year-old finalized his coaching staff and met the club’s top prospects during the 2022 Development Camp at Little Caesars Arena.
And now, with less than a month until Training Camp, Lalonde said it “still hasn’t sunk in” that he’s the head coach for an Original Six franchise.
“One thing about being a career coach is that you go about your business,” Lalonde recently told DetroitRedWings.com. “It’s never about the next job or getting to the top, it’s about concentrating on where you’re at. That’s engrained in me a little bit, so maybe I haven’t had that moment yet.”
Lalonde arrived in Detroit after spending the past four seasons with the Lightning, who earned four straight postseason berths and three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances. Before his time in Tampa Bay, Lalonde was head coach for the Minnesota Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Wild, as well as Detroit’s East Coast Hockey League affiliate, the Toledo Walleye, and the United States Hockey League’s Green Bay Gamblers.
Video: Derek Lalonde | Head Coach Press Conference
Prior to making his head coaching debut, Lalonde was an assistant coach at the University of Denver, Ferris State University (Big Rapids, Mich.), Hamilton College and Lebanon Valley College. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
When reflecting on his coaching journey, Lalonde believes there’s a blueprint for team success.
“I’ve been fortunate to be on successful teams and teams that have won,” he said. “When you ultimately start playing for that guy next to you, that becomes really powerful.”
For Lalonde, his first order of business in Detroit is ensuring his players buy into the process.
“When we were in Tampa Bay, it took us time to judge ourselves on process over outcome,” Lalonde said. “A perfect example is the year we won 62 games because we weren’t judging ourselves. We were rewarded with winning. There were holes in our game and times where we didn’t play winning hockey, but we still found ways to win. I just wanna get the process going the right way and if that happens, I think the outcome will take care of itself.”
In mapping out his to-do list, Lalonde also wants to foster a team-first mindset.
“Certainly, it doesn’t happen overnight,” he said. “It will be a challenge not only as a coach, but for our coaching staff and as a group.”
Video: Derek Lalonde on Red Wings new coaching hires
Throughout his coaching career, Lalonde has emphasized the value of relationships. Despite Red Wings players scattered across the globe this summer, Detroit’s first-year head coach has spoken with all of them, some multiple times.
“We’re just gearing up towards when this all gets going here in September,” Lalonde said. “I do want to respect our own staff and players having their down time as well as time with their families in the offseason.”
There are several areas Lalonde wants the Red Wings to focus on throughout the 2022-23 season, especially improving team defense.
“You don’t have to have a trained eye to look at the numbers, because we were certainly not a good defensive team last year,” Lalonde said. “We were towards the bottom of every defensive category there is. To be a more competitive team, you have to get the puck out of your net.”
Lalonde added that Detroit’s free-agent additions can help the Red Wings take steps forward.
“I think with the types of players you see that we signed, whether that was (Andrew) Copp or a (Ben) Chiarot, these guys have had a history of being hard to play against and being sound away from the puck,” Lalonde said. said. “I think we need to do that as an entire team.”
And as the Red Wings prepare for the upcoming campaign, Lalonde shares the players’ excitement.
“No matter where you are as an organization, you want an upward trajectory,” Lalonde said. “I think the guys are feeling that and I think the guys are excited about that. You can feel that when talking to each and every one of them.”
Single-game tickets for the Red Wings’ 2022-23 preseason and regular season are currently on-sale at DetroitRedWings.com/tickets. Detroit will open at home on Friday, Oct. 14 against the Montreal Canadiens, and Little Caesars Arena will host 16 weekend home games throughout the season.
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