Michigan Public’s Doug Tribou spoke with author and sports guru John U. Bacon about the Red Wings’ resurgence, and here’s what Bacon had to say:
DT: Let’s turn to the NHL. The Red Wings started out the season with just 13 wins in their first 35 games. Then they fired head coach Derek Lalonde and replaced him with Todd McLellan. Since then, Detroit has won 15 of 20 games, including seven in a row. What has McLellan done differently since taking over?
JUB: It’s actually quite simple, and I love it. Derek Lalonde, the previous coach, had them doing all kinds of very strict systems. They’re not called plays in hockey, but systems. Kind of railroad tracks that you have to follow in the offensive zone. So instead of responding and reacting and being aggressive, you’re thinking too much and you’re going too slow. So what did McLellan do? He said, Unleash the hounds. One of his first speeches was, you guys been playing this game your entire life. You know how to play offense. Go do it. And so he let them go.
A book called Let Them Lead, that reminds me of that book. Some high school hockey coach, I think, advocated this. I’m sure [McLellan’s] read it, too, by the way [laughs].
DT: [Laughs]
JUB: But it boils down to a very simple idea. Boils down to: trust your people. He did. These guys can play. The last 20 games, they’re the best team in the NHL. That’s a turnaround.
