The Toronto Maple Leafs filled the vacancy on head coach Craig Berube’s coaching staff with the departure of Lane Lambert with the hiring of former Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde.
The 52-year-old gained notoriety after serving as Red Wings head coach by making appearances on the Hockey Night in Canada panel during the postseason. Lalonde accumulated a 89-86-23 record (.508) in three seasons with Detroit. The Brasher Falls, New York native previously spent four seasons as an assistant under John Cooper in Tampa Bay, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. During that span, he also coached internationally with the United States, working as an assistant coach at the IIHF World Championships in both 2023 and 2024.
Prior to joining the Lightning, Lalonde served as head coach of the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild from 2016-18, compiling a 69-58-17-8 record. He also spent two seasons with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye (2014-16), leading the team to a 97-35-7-5 record. During his first season in 2014-15, Lalonde led the Walleye to a 50-15-5-2 mark, winning the Brabham Cup as the ECHL’s regular-season champion, and earning Lalonde recognition with the John Brophy Award as the ECHL’s Coach of the Year.
He began his head coaching career with the United States Hockey League’s Green Bay Gamblers, amassing a 114-56-8-6 record as head coach and general manager from 2011-14. He was named the USHL’s Coach of the Year in 2011-12 after the Gamblers compiled a 47-9-2-2 record and captured the organization’s fourth Clark Cup title.
