Red Wings McLellan Comes With Trusted Lieutenant in Tow

The two first met as teammates with the WHL Saskatoon Blades in 1983. Yawney a defenseman who was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks. McLellan a center who was a draftee of the New York Islanders.

“Yawns and I have a really good relationship from many years ago when we played junior together,” McLellan said. “If he wasn’t here, we’d still have this relationship.”

Red Wings Will Benefit From Shared Experiences

McLellan would never make the NHL grade as a player. Yawney spent 593 NHL games with the Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames. He would also captain Canada at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.

Yawney was also the first to get an NHL head coaching shot, with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2005. Three years later when McLellan, fresh off a Stanley Cup win as a Red Wings assistant coach, was offered the head coaching position with the San Jose Sharks, his first call was to Yawney. But it wasn’t merely a case of looking out for an old friend.

“I was more interested in his experience in Chicago as a young coach,” McLellan said. “He did some things right he’ll admit and he did some things wrong. I wanted to draw upon those experiences so that maybe I could evaluate what I was doing at times as a young coach.”

They spent three years working together in San Jose, one in Edmonton and five in Los Angeles.

“It’s been really productive that way,” McLellan said.