Before he was head coach of the Red Wings, Derek Lalonde was used to coaching well into the summer as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning staff. And definitely, he intends to be working well into May and June in Detroit before long, too.
But with the Red Wings at home this spring, Lalonde instead elected to fill his time another way, by going to Tampere, Finland as an assistant coach for the United States’ IIHF Men’s World Championship squad. After a perfect run through pool play, the Americans finally came up just short of a medal, losing in overtime of the bronze medal game.
And after returning last week, Lalonde chatted to The Athletic to talk about his experiences and insights, views from coaching Red Wings prospect Carter Mazur on Team USA, and more.
Note: This interview has been minimally modified for clarity and length.
So first things first, what are some of your big-picture takeaways coming back? I’m certainly disappointment in the medal round, but the overall experience?
It was a terrific experience. It probably exceeded my expectations. First time at the men’s senior level. The intensity of the fan base, how huge international hockey is in Europe — it’s strange, no one knew me as the Detroit Red Wings head coach. It’s just different. And I thought it was a terrific experience, and very glad to represent our country, and then extremely proud of our group.
I know, you were probably no different, when that lineup was unveiled – hardly the sexiest, most star-studded team. I don’t think anyone gave
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