Babcock’s Replacement

Jeff Blashill has been the heir apparent as the Detroit Red Wings head coach for a couple of years.

Babcock took over for the Leafs May 20^th, so it seemed only a matter of time that Blashill was promoted from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.

It’s only proper protocol that the Wings waited for the Calder Cup playoff run to end to see how the Griffin’s season finished.

The Wings made it official and announced his hiring last week at the “Joe” or the Joe Louis Arena, home of the Wings.

At the young age of 41 he will become the second-youngest head coach in the NHL, only one year behind John Hynes (40) of the New Jersey Devils, who was also a recent hire.

It is likely that he will receive a three-year contract, since current GM Ken Holland has three years remaining on his contract.

The Griffins were eliminated in Game 6 action of the AHL Western Conference finals by the Utica Comets, farm club for the Canucks.

Blashill was raised in Sault Ste. Marie, was apparently the first choice for the Wings position.

While in Grand Rapids for three season’s he posted a record of 134-71-23 and won the Calder Cup championship in 2013.

This was only his first season as the Head Coach, so it’s only fitting that he was named AHL Coach of the year in 2014.

It is reported that 5 clubs (NHL) contacted the Red Wings last off-season for permission to speak with Blashill, but all were denied.

It is expected that his salary could be doubled to about $400,000 per season, which is about twice the average pay for a Coach in the AHL.

Blashill has coached many players on the Wings roster of which 10 appeared in this year’s playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In 2011 the Red Wings hired Blashill as an Assistant Coach following only one season as Head Coach at Western Michigan, when he led the Broncos to the NCAA Tournament.

He was also a former goaltender at Ferris State University spending three (3) years as an assistant coach at his alma mater before joining Miami University as an assistant in 2002.

In 2008, he was named Head Coach of the USHL’s Indiana Ice, winning the championship in only his first season.

No one has to tell him that he has “big shoes” to fill, never mind the history of the Wings organization that dates back to May 15, 1926 when they were given an NHL franchise.

The roots of the Red Wings go all the way back to the old Western Hockey League, where the Victoria (British Columbia) Cougars were members until their roster was sold to a group from Detroit on September 25, 1926