The Detroit Red Wings have named Derek Lalonde the 28th head coach in franchise history, the team announced Thursday. Lalonde, 49, joins the organization after spending the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning where he helped the team clinch four-straight postseason berths and back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. "I'm very pleased to announce Derek as our new head coach," Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman said in a statement. "He has proven himself as an excellent coach at every level and has spent the last four seasons in the National Hockey League as part of a very successful program in Tampa Bay.
We feel he is ready to take the next step in his career as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings." Prior to his time behind the Lightning bench, the Brasher Falls, N.Y., native spent two seasons as the head coach of the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild (2016-18), posting a record of 69-58-18-8.