The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that former Detroit Red Wings bench boss Jeff Blashill will be the team’s new assistant coach.
Blashill had a seven-year run as bench boss, making the playoffs just once back in his first season in 2015-16. The Red Wings have spent most of Blashill’s tenure with the team rebuilding, and the club finally returned to the 30-win club with a 32-40-10 record to finish fifth in the Atlantic.
Blashill, 48, has also served as USA’s head coach at three World Championship events and was an assistant earlier this spring.
Blashill joins Jeff Halpern and Rob Zettler as assistants under head coach Jon Cooper. Blashill replaces Derek Lalonde, who, ironically, replaced Blashill in Detroit earlier this summer.