MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a notebook article regarding Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon’s NHL debut, made on Saturday as he coached the Red Wings in Jeff Blashill’s absence:
When Steve Yzerman summoned Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon to Detroit to fill in for Jeff Blashill for a game, he gave him a bit of advice.
“Go out there, have fun and do this to the best of your ability,” Simon said the Red Wings general manager told him.
That’s what Simon did while calling the shots behind the bench in a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena.
Whether or not Simon, 43, realizes his dream to coach in the NHL one day, he will always remember this experience.
“At the end of the day, not a lot of guys can say they stepped behind an NHL bench,” Simon said Monday during a media Zoom call. “For me, whether that was one game or turns into a thousand games over the course of my life, it was a great experience, and to do it for Detroit was pretty cool.”
