Detroit Red Wings

Yzerman Hasn’t Seen ESPN Documentary; But His New Coach Enjoyed It

Published

2 years ago

July 1, 2022

Steve Yzerman hasn't had the time to watch the ESPN documentary on the Detroit-Colorado NHL rivarly.

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman wants an excused absence from the large group of Detroiters who have already enjoyed ESPN’s Documentary on the Colorado Avalanche-Detroit Red Wings Rivalry.

“I haven’t seen it, to be honest with you,” Yzerman said. “We’ve been busy.”

That comment drew laughter because it was made during the press conference to announce former Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Derek Lalonde as the Red Wings’ 28th head coach. Yzerman fired Jeff Blashill on May 2 and spent 59 days reviewing candidates before offering the job to Lalonde.

And Lalonde, by the way, has watched the ESPN E60 that highlights what happened in the late 1990s.

Lalonde said he doesn’t sleep much during the playoffs. He always finds himself breaking down film at one o’clock in the morning. Probably there was even less sleep during the recent Stanley Cup Final when Lalonde’s Lightning lost a hotly-contested six-game series to the Colorado Avalanche. Even when the series was over, he wasn’t getting much sleep.

“So already I was working on 4-5 hours sleep and then Steve called, so sleep got even less,” Lalonde said.

He was finally going to be able to find sleep at 1:30 in the morning the other night, but the ESPN Documentary came on. First, he tried to record it, but soon found himself watching it start to finish.

He’s a Red Wing Now

After all, the Red Wings are now his organization.

“I was back to a three-hour sleep night,” Lalonde said.

Lalonde was asked whether the documentary was cathartic, given he just lost a heartbreaking series to the Avalanche to deny the Lightning a third consecutive Stanley Cup title.

“That did bring joy to me,” he said.

Meanwhile, Yzerman said he is going to watch it,

“At night, I fall asleep,” he said. “Maybe after I get through the draft and in the summer when things quiet down I’ll have the chance to watch it.”