In a busy morning for the Detroit Red Wings, they also announced that two new coaches were joining the staff. Bob Boughner will be coming on as an associate coach and Alex Westlund joins the staff as the goaltending coach.
Bob Boughner was originally drafted by the Red Wings 32nd overall in the 1989 Entry Draft. He played 10 years in the NHL scoring a total of 72 points in 630 games while racking up 1382 penalty minutes. He has coached everywhere, from the Windsor Spitfires to the San Jose Sharks, where he was ultimately fired after three seasons. Now, he joins Derek Lalonde’s staff behind the bench, bringing a plethora of different experiences to the table. The Red Wings got their defense coach with experience playing the position.
As for Alex Westlund, he has played games as a goaltender around the world after attending Yale University. From the AHL and ECHL to the Asia League, there are plenty of places that he has been to gather knowledge about the game, both good and bad. His most recent coaching job has been in the Washington Capitals organization with their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. Not only has he coached an award-winning AHL tandem, but he has also helped the newest New Jersey Devils goaltender Vitek Vanecek and Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov become full-time NHLers.
With Alex Nedeljkovic and new goaltender Ville Husso as the tandem heading into the 2022-23 campaign, it was important to find someone with solid experience and a good resume. Yzerman got his guy here as well.