EXPERIENCE COUNTS

Jeff Blashill hopes to put his time with the Griffins to good use in Detroit.

Story by Mark Newman / Photo by Randy Cleves

When Detroit general manager Ken Holland introduced Griffins coach Jeff Blashill as the 27th head coach in Red Wings history on June 9, 2015, Blashill proclaimed that he felt fortunate to land “one of the most coveted jobs in the National Hockey League.”

As a Motor City native who grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., as a diehard Red Wings fan after his father had been a Detroit cop for 10 years, Blashill was grateful to be given the opportunity to guide the only Original Six team that he ever followed.

“It’s a neat thing to become the head coach of an organization that was a big part of your life growing up,” Blashill said. “That’s pretty cool.”

Blashill came to Grand Rapids before the 2012-13 season following one year as an assistant for head coach Mike Babcock in Detroit. The Griffins, who made the playoffs all three seasons under Blashill after missing the postseason the prior three, won the 2013 Calder Cup under his guidance. Moreover, Grand Rapids’ 50 playoff games played during his tenure set an AHL record for the most ever by a team during a three-year span.

Several teams inquired about securing Blashill’s services after that championship, but the young coach opted to stay put as the heir apparent to Babcock.

“I loved my job in Grand Rapids,” Blashill said. “I loved the city and I had a great experience with the ownership and staff of the Griffins. When you’re in a great situation, I don’t think you’re in a rush to go anywhere.”

Blashill will look back fondly at his time in the AHL, which he called “an unbelievable experience.” He said the experience of coaching the Red Wings’ top prospects will be beneficial to his work in Detroit.

“(Grand Rapids) has had a huge impact on my career,” Blashill said. “I think the American Hockey League is a great, great league for coaches to learn in. They say it’s a great development league for players, but I think it’s just as important for coaches, and I think it’s shown by the number of NHL coaches who are AHL graduates.”

Blashill is the latest in a long line of AHL-trained coaches, a list that includes fellow Calder Cup winners Barry Trotz (Portland, 1994), Bob Hartley (Hershey, 1997), Peter Laviolette (Providence, 1999), Todd McLellan (Houston, 2003), Bruce Boudreau (Hershey, 2006), Jon Cooper (Norfolk, 2012) and Willie Desjardins (Texas, 2014).

“There’s no question that I’ve learned a ton in Grand Rapids,” he said. “As someone who wants to get better at his craft, you learn to adapt. I think my time in Grand Rapids has been paramount to my development as a coach.”

It’s the very nature of the AHL as the top developmental league of the NHL that provides coaches with the opportunity to improve themselves in the same way that players practice and play games to get better.

“During the course of a single season, you’re presented with more challenges than at any other level because of player movement,” Blashill said. “You face so many different situations that you have to learn to adapt. It forces you to find different ways to win.”

Blashill gives credits to his players in Grand Rapids for making him look good.

“Coaches are ultimately a reflection of their players and I’ve been really fortunate to coach great people and great players,” he said. “You only win championships with great talent and great character. You can’t have just one or the other. You’ve got to have both.”

He is especially grateful for the veteran leadership of captain Jeff Hoggan and defensemen Nathan Paetsch and Brennan Evans and credited their work ethic for developing a culture that bred success.

“They were a huge part of our success and a huge reason for the acceleration of development of many of the Red Wings’ prospects who are either members of the team now or knocking on the door,” he said. “I don’t spend a lot of time with rah-rah speeches and other motivational tactics because I believe the guys motivate themselves.”

In that sense, Blashill said he looks forward to working with Red Wings veterans Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Kronwall.

“The No. 1 factor that will influence a team’s success is having players who embody the characteristics of winners: inner drive, competitiveness, selflessness,” he said. “If you have guys with those qualities, it gives you a chance to win. If you don’t, you have no chance to win.”

The fact that Blashill will be coaching many players in Detroit who played for him in Grand Rapids should help with his transition to the NHL.

“I know what makes a lot of the guys tick,” he said. “You have to motivate people in different ways, and the fact that there is familiarity will allow that to happen in a more efficient manner. You can’t treat every guy the same.”

While he will employ many of the same systems used by Babcock, Blashill will not be a carbon copy of his former boss, now the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I’ll have my own approach, and with my own approach will come change,” he said.

At the same time, Blashill plans to adhere to the same process that he followed in Grand Rapids, like breaking the season into segments in an effort to get the team to compete at a playoff level throughout the year.

“The message will stay consistent,” he said. “The one thing I’ve learned is (good) habits are just as important in the NHL as they are in the AHL. The difference between winning and losing is so minimal that the edge often goes to the team that pays closer attention to details.”

“I can’t wait to go to work with this group and try to work to win a Stanley Cup.”

Jeff Blashill hopes to put his time with the Griffins to good use in Detroit.

Story by Mark Newman / Photo by Randy Cleves

When Detroit general manager Ken Holland introduced Griffins coach Jeff Blashill as the 27th head coach in Red Wings history on June 9, 2015, Blashill proclaimed that he felt fortunate to land “one of the most coveted jobs in the National Hockey League.”

As a Motor City native who grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., as a diehard Red Wings fan after his father had been a Detroit cop for 10 years, Blashill was grateful to be given the opportunity to guide the only Original Six team that he ever followed.

“It’s a neat thing to become the head coach of an organization that was a big part of your life growing up,” Blashill said. “That’s pretty cool.”

Blashill came to Grand Rapids before the 2012-13 season following one year as an assistant for head coach Mike Babcock in Detroit. The Griffins, who made the playoffs all three seasons under Blashill after missing the postseason the prior three, won the 2013 Calder Cup under his guidance. Moreover, Grand Rapids’ 50 playoff games played during his tenure set an AHL record for the most ever by a team during a three-year span.

Several teams inquired about securing Blashill’s services after that championship, but the young coach opted to stay put as the heir apparent to Babcock.

“I loved my job in Grand Rapids,” Blashill said. “I loved the city and I had a great experience with the ownership and staff of the Griffins. When you’re in a great situation, I don’t think you’re in a rush to go anywhere.”

Blashill will look back fondly at his time in the AHL, which he called “an unbelievable experience.” He said the experience of coaching the Red Wings’ top prospects will be beneficial to his work in Detroit.

“(Grand Rapids) has had a huge impact on my career,” Blashill said. “I think the American Hockey League is a great, great league for coaches to learn in. They say it’s a great development league for players, but I think it’s just as important for coaches, and I think it’s shown by the number of NHL coaches who are AHL graduates.”

Blashill is the latest in a long line of AHL-trained coaches, a list that includes fellow Calder Cup winners Barry Trotz (Portland, 1994), Bob Hartley (Hershey, 1997), Peter Laviolette (Providence, 1999), Todd McLellan (Houston, 2003), Bruce Boudreau (Hershey, 2006), Jon Cooper (Norfolk, 2012) and Willie Desjardins (Texas, 2014).

“There’s no question that I’ve learned a ton in Grand Rapids,” he said. “As someone who wants to get better at his craft, you learn to adapt. I think my time in Grand Rapids has been paramount to my development as a coach.”

It’s the very nature of the AHL as the top developmental league of the NHL that provides coaches with the opportunity to improve themselves in the same way that players practice and play games to get better.

“During the course of a single season, you’re presented with more challenges than at any other level because of player movement,” Blashill said. “You face so many different situations that you have to learn to adapt. It forces you to find different ways to win.”

Blashill gives credits to his players in Grand Rapids for making him look good.

“Coaches are ultimately a reflection of their players and I’ve been really fortunate to coach great people and great players,” he said. “You only win championships with great talent and great character. You can’t have just one or the other. You’ve got to have both.”

He is especially grateful for the veteran leadership of captain Jeff Hoggan and defensemen Nathan Paetsch and Brennan Evans and credited their work ethic for developing a culture that bred success.

“They were a huge part of our success and a huge reason for the acceleration of development of many of the Red Wings’ prospects who are either members of the team now or knocking on the door,” he said. “I don’t spend a lot of time with rah-rah speeches and other motivational tactics because I believe the guys motivate themselves.”

In that sense, Blashill said he looks forward to working with Red Wings veterans Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Kronwall.

“The No. 1 factor that will influence a team’s success is having players who embody the characteristics of winners: inner drive, competitiveness, selflessness,” he said. “If you have guys with those qualities, it gives you a chance to win. If you don’t, you have no chance to win.”

The fact that Blashill will be coaching many players in Detroit who played for him in Grand Rapids should help with his transition to the NHL.

“I know what makes a lot of the guys tick,” he said. “You have to motivate people in different ways, and the fact that there is familiarity will allow that to happen in a more efficient manner. You can’t treat every guy the same.”

While he will employ many of the same systems used by Babcock, Blashill will not be a carbon copy of his former boss, now the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I’ll have my own approach, and with my own approach will come change,” he said.

At the same time, Blashill plans to adhere to the same process that he followed in Grand Rapids, like breaking the season into segments in an effort to get the team to compete at a playoff level throughout the year.

“The message will stay consistent,” he said. “The one thing I’ve learned is (good) habits are just as important in the NHL as they are in the AHL. The difference between winning and losing is so minimal that the edge often goes to the team that pays closer attention to details.”

“I can’t wait to go to work with this group and try to work to win a Stanley Cup.”