The Detroit Red Wings have brought in some experience to help Derek Lalonde’s transition to head coach, hiring the recently-dismissed Bob Boughner as an associate coach. The team has also brought in Alex Westlund as goaltending coach for the upcoming season.
Boughner, 51, was fired by the San Jose Sharks when they decided to allow the incoming general manager to choose his own coaching staff. That ended a run that spanned parts of three seasons, in which he went 67-85-23. While you certainly can’t blame Boughner for all of the Sharks’ struggles, moving back to an assistant role seemed likely given how late he was released into the open market.
In fact, he’ll get an associate role in Detroit, giving him even more responsibility and sway with the organization as they transition away from Jeff Blashill and into a new coaching era. Lalonde has head coaching experience at the USHL, ECHL, and AHL levels but not in the NHL, where he has only served as an assistant. Having a veteran like Boughner, who also played more than 600 games in the NHL, should only aid his move to head coach.
Westlund, meanwhile, is coming over from the Hershey Bears, where he has served as goaltending coach for the last five years. The former minor league goaltender last played in 2013-14 with the Wheeling Nailers and actually carved out quite a professional career despite standing just 5’9″, a height that is usually dismissed by most scouts. He’ll now get a chance to work with Alex Nedeljkovic and Ville Husso at the NHL level, while helping the development of top prospect Sebastian Cossa, the Red Wings’ goalie of the future.
Good hires!
Boughner is right across the river from his hometown Windsor, ON.
Experience helps in this situation.