Steve Yzerman bluntly calls out Red Wings players for failing to meet his expectations
During this morning's press conference, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman bluntly said that his players weren't meeting his expectations.
The Detroit Red Wings have undergone a major change, as general manager Steve Yzerman handed now-former head coach Derek Lalonde his walking papers; assistant coach Bob Boughner was also let go.
Arriving in their place was Todd McLellan, who won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings as an assistant coach under Mike Babcock in 2008, along with former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman and head coach Trent Yawney as an assistant.
It was announced that Yzerman would hold a press conference this morning, and he began his formal remarks by stating very bluntly that the players on the roster weren't meeting his expectations.
Collectively, we are where we are and we're playing the way we are, and a decision comes at some point. We see teams make coaching changes all the time, some times it makes a difference and sometimes it doesn't.
It's not like they're not trying to win or trying to figure it out, but you could see it in the players' frustrated. In Montreal, even going back to Buffalo in the game we won, just sensing the frustration and the will being zapped from everyone.
Ultimately after the Toronto game, it's never the right time, but it was the time it needed to be done.
Yzerman then said that his initial expectation entering this year was that his team could realistically compete for a Wild Card postseason spot.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 27 | 254 ANSWERS Steve Yzerman bluntly calls out Red Wings players for failing to meet his expectations Were you satisfied with GM Steve Yzerman's reasoning behind yesterday's major organizational shift? | ||
| Yes | 219 | 86.2 % |
| No | 35 | 13.8 % |
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