The Detroit Red Wings introduced head coach Todd McLellan on Friday morning. Detroit’s new bench boss took over after Derek Lalonde was fired on Boxing Day. A few hours after the introductory press conference, McLellan was behind the bench as the Red Wings faced the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Unfortunately, McLellan’s debut as the head coach in Detroit did not go to plan. Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner scored a natural hat trick at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Red Wings did score twice in the third, but it wasn’t enough. Detroit fell 5-2 on the night, and are now 13-18-4 on the season.
McLellan met with reporters after the game. He was asked about his assessment of his team’s performance against Toronto. The veteran bench boss did not mince words when talking about what he felt.
“From a coaching perspective, it was exciting to be back there, but we’ve got work to do – that’s fairly evident,” said McLellan, via NHL.com. “This game allows us a road map – we know where we will begin in practice tomorrow. You don’t have to be a hockey expert to see some of our entry coverages and D-zone parts of the play need to be fixed.”