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When a coach needed a kid to play goalie, he raised his hand and found he liked the intensity of stealing a game and keeping his team close. Undersized at five feet and nine inches, Lalonde developed an acrobatic style that worked. In 1990, he led St. Lawrence Central High School to the state final four, a perfor- mance that led to an offer from Cortland State. Lalonde graduated with a degree in physical education and then moved to North Adams State—now called the Massachusetts College for Liberal Arts. While working towards a masters in athletic administration, he served as an unpaid assistant hockey coach. It was there that Lalonde fell in love with the process of building and shaping a team. O v e r t h e n e xt 1 2 y e a r s, h e s e r v e d a s a n assistant coach at Lebanon Valley College, Hamilton Colleg e, Ferris State, and the University of Denver. He got his first head coaching job with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL, and led them to the league title in his first season. Next came two years with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, and two more with the Iowa Wild in the AHL. "That's when I started thinking, 'Hey, maybe I do have a shot at the NHL," Lalonde recalled. In the summer of 2018, Lalonde picked up the phone and on the other end was Jon Cooper, who had built a powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning team and was in the market for a new assistant. Before long, the NHL had a second Newsy Lalonde in its ranks. Nearly two years later, Lalonde looked up at the scoreboard in the final minutes of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final before the Lightning clinched the Stanley Cup as a video showed clips of some all-time greats raising the Cup—Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux. " Wow," Lalonde recalled thinking. "The Division-III goalie from Brasher Falls is going have his name on the Cup." The COVID -19 pandemic prevented him from bringing the Cup to Brasher Falls, but after Tampa won its second consecutive Stanley Cup, he put it on display in his parents' front yard and his mom, sister and friends all got to drink from it. Tampa made it to the Stanley Cup Final a third time in a row in 2022. A day after the Lightning lost in six games, L a l o n d e g o t a t e x t f r o m Yz e r m a n , Detroit's general manager, and Derek " N e w sy " L a l o n d e w a s n a m e d h e a d coach of the Red Wings days later. The Wings were legitimate playoff contenders last season until they ran out of gas down the stretch. Lalonde is expecting further improvement this year. "Coaching is about relationships with your players, your staff, and building a culture," Lalonde said. "You have to create a process that enables you to win. I learned that in all the levels I've been at. That's what got me to Detroit." And this year? "I'm excited," he concluded. So is everyone back in Brasher Falls, all 769 of them. P BUILDING BLOCKS k There are 10 American-born general managers at the helm of NHL franchises for the 2023-24 season with Craig Conroy joining the prestigious list this offseason. Conroy takes over as general manager for the Calgary Flames following nine seasons as an assistant general manager. The 52-year-old first joined the Flames' management group as a special assistant to GM Jay Feaster after retiring from the NHL on Feb. 4, 2011. The forward had 308 points (97 goals, 211 assists) in 507 games with Calgary and 542 points (182 goals, 360 assists) in 1,009 games for the Flames, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens. Bill Guerin / Worcester, Mass. / Minnesota Wild Tom Fitzgerald / Billerica, Mass. / New Jersey Devils Lou Lamoriello / Johnstown, R.I. / N.Y. Islanders Chris Drury / Trumbull, Conn. / N.Y. Rangers Mike Grier / Detroit / San Jose Sharks American General Managers Kevyn Adams / Washington D.C. / Buffalo Sabres Craig Conroy / Potsdam, N.Y. / Calgary Flames Don Waddell / Detroit / Carolina Hurricanes Chris MacFarland / New York City / Colorado Avalanche Bill Zito / Pittsburgh / Florida Panthers 42 // OCTOBER 2023 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM D E R E K L A L O N D E VIDEO: DEREK LALONDE JOINS IN AT RED WINGS "STREET HOCKEY IN THE D: SUMMER SERIES."