Former WMU Coach Jeff Blashill named Red Wings Head Coach

Another former college head coach has been named head coach in the NHL.

Noah Trister, the Globe and Mail -- Jeff Blashill was hired Tuesday by the Detroit Red Wings, ending a fairly un-suspenseful coaching search that began when Mike Babcock left to take over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Blashill has coached Detroit’s minor league affiliate in Grand Rapids for the past three seasons, and he was an obvious candidate for the Red Wings once Babcock left. Detroit general manager Ken Holland acknowledged right away that he was going to talk to Blashill about the job, but the Griffins made it to the conference finals in the AHL playoffs. Blashill’s promotion was announced Tuesday.

Blashill led Grand Rapids to the Calder Cup in 2013. He says he’d been eyeing the Red Wings’ job since it became clear Babcock’s future was uncertain.

A Detroit native, Blashill coached at Western Michigan before joining the Red Wings’ organization. Blashill was an assistant coach for the Red Wings in 2011-12 before taking over at Grand Rapids.

Links to Story

Blashill 'can't wait' to get started with Red Wings (Detroit Free Press)

Seidel: 16 reasons Jeff Blashill is right for Red Wings (Detroit Free Press)

Red Wings hire Jeff Blashill to replace Mike Babcock (ESPN.COM)

Wings tab Blashill: 'I can't wait to go to work' (Detroit News)

Detroit Red Wings introduce Jeff Blashill as new coach to replace Mike Babcock (US News)

WMU head coach Blashill Resigns For Red Wings Position

WMU head hocky coach Jeff Blashill is leaving Western Michigan and joining the coaching staff of the Detroit Redwings.

WMU Athletics ---- position with Western Michigan University on Friday morning, effective immediately, to take an assistant coaching position with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL.

“We really want to thank coach Blashill for his dedicated and passionate leadership with our student-athletes and his coaching staff. We wish him nothing but the best as he moves on to a new chapter in his professional career,” said director of athletics Kathy Beauregard. “The success we experienced and his multiple National Coach of the Year honors speaks volumes to his talent as a coach and it also speaks volumes to the hockey program we have here at Western Michigan University. We are positioned perfectly for a high profile coaching search. There has never been a better time to become our next new Bronco hockey coach.”

“We believe we have one of the top ten programs in the country and we made a decision as an institution to make our head coaching position one of the ten highest paid in college hockey,” continued Beauregard. “The hockey community is well aware of our investment in our program and we know we’re going to attract the absolute best coaching candidates throughout North America. As a director of athletics you’re always building a bench of potential coaching candidates to prepare for days like this when a head coach departs. I am already receiving inquiries, have assembled a small advisory committee and a comprehensive national search will begin immediately.”