Top Detroit radio sports host calls out Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman
A top local Detroit sports radio host is calling out Red Wings general manager for having not made the coaching switch from Derek Lalonde to Todd McLellan sooner.
It's a night and day difference for the Detroit Red Wings in how they're playing under new coach Todd McLellan as opposed to how they performed under now-former coach Derek Lalonde, who was let go on December 26.
The The Red Wings hired McLellan who was an assistant coach on their 2008 Stanley Cup team, and the results speak for themselves so far. The Red Wings have won 7-straight games, their longest winning streak since 2011-12.
This newfound success and dramatic reversal of Detroit's fortunes has caused many to openly wonder why the switch wasn't made sooner by GM Steve Yzerman, and a well-known radio host is asking the same question.
Mike Valenti, who hosts the afternoon segment from 2:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Detroit's 97.1 The Ticket, openly questioned the Red Wings general manager during a portion of today's show.
Why did Yzerman wait this long to pull the ripcord on Lalonde?
It leaves you the question of why did Yzerman wait so long, and how much blame does he incur, and honestly, is it okay to be upset at the players?
Valenti's co-host, longtime sports journalist and adjunct professor Rico Beard, believes that Yzerman is now officially "on the clock".
I think Yzerman waited so long because the second you fired Lalonde, it was going to start the clock. Because you don't get to hire 3 coaches. General managers and athletic directors don't get to hire 3 coaches.
Valenti noted that despite Detroit's 7-game win streak, they're still a pair of points outside of the postseason - something that could have been fixed had the coaching change been made sooner.
The sad part is that they're still up against it because they waited so long. They waited, what was it, 36 games to pull the plug? Think about if they had just done this 5 games sooner, 7 games sooner. They waited so long....this guy could have been gone at any point.
There is a case to be made that Yzerman did wait too long to make the coaching change, but the important thing is that it was ultimately done and the Red Wings are playing a vastly superior brand of hockey.
| POLL |
15 HOURS AGO | 134 ANSWERS Top Detroit radio sports host calls out Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman Did Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman wait too long to make the coaching change? |
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