Red Wings McLellan Comes With Trusted Lieutenant in Tow

Certainly, the pitiful penalty kill of the Detroit Red Wings was playing a role in Thursday’s dismissal of associate coach Bob Boughner. He was in charge of the NHL’s second-worst PK unit and was shown the door along with head coach Derek Lalonde.

However, there was another factor playing a role in the decision to oust Boughner. New Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan, as is often the case with long-time head coaches, arrives with his own trusted lieutenant in tow.

That would be his long-time friend, former teammate and frequent coaching compatriot Trent Yawney.

The Detroit Red Wings have hired Trent Yawney as an assistant coach. Yawney, 59, most recently was an assistant coach for 5 seasons (2019-2024) with the Los Angeles Kings. Yawney is reunited with Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan.#DetroitRedWings#TrentYawney pic.twitter.com/oQKEODAncL

— Poeskie's Sports News Alert (@PoeskieA) December 26, 2024

The two first met as teammates with the WHL Saskatoon Blades in 1983. Yawney a defenseman who was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks. McLellan a center who was a draftee of the New York Islanders.

“Yawns and I have a really good relationship from many years ago when we played junior together,” McLellan said. “If he wasn’t here, we’d still have this relationship.”

Red Wings Will Benefit From Shared Experiences

McLellan would never make the NHL grade as a player. Yawney spent 593 NHL games with the Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames. He would also captain Canada at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.

Yawney was also the first to get an NHL head coaching shot, with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2005. Three years later when McLellan, fresh off a Stanley Cup win as a Red Wings assistant coach, was offered the head coaching position with the San Jose Sharks, his first call was to Yawney. But it wasn’t merely a case of looking out for an old friend.

With his team struggling after only an average start to their season, #RedWings general manager Steve Yzerman made a change at head coach today by replacing Derek Lalonde with Todd McLellan. It comes after an exactly 2 month run where DET ranked in a tie for the lowest total here pic.twitter.com/U6QQ2yeNvx

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) December 26, 2024

“I was more interested in his experience in Chicago as a young coach,” McLellan said. “He did some things right he’ll admit and he did some things wrong. I wanted to draw upon those experiences so that maybe I could evaluate what I was doing at times as a young coach.”

They spent three years working together in San Jose, one in Edmonton and five in Los Angeles.

“It’s been really productive that way,” McLellan said.