After parting ways with former head coach Derek Lalond, Todd McLellan rolled into the motor city, clearly wanting to send a clear message right off the bat.
According to Hockey Feed, McLellan was overheard delivering a fiery message to his players, one in which he implored the team to simply "just f***ing play hockey" and as you might expect with reporters in earshot the questions regarding that message quickly followed.
One of the players that was asked about how the message went over was longtime National Hockey League star Patrick Kane, who seemed to take it relatively well.
Patrick Kane seemed to respond positively to McLellan's intense comments, emphasizing that keeping things simple is a great way to tackle the game.
You can watch Patrick Kane's full response in the Twitter link below:
McLellan, who coached the Los Angeles Kings last season before he was fired on Feb. 2, is 598-412-134 in 1,144 regular-season games with the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers and Kings and 42-46 in 88 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
He ranks sixth among active coaches in wins behind Paul Maurice (891), Lindy Ruff (876), Peter Laviolette (823), John Tortorella (757) and Peter DeBoer (632).
POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 29 | 374 ANSWERS Patrick Kane responds to intense comments made by new head coach Todd McLellan Do you think Todd McLellan is a good NHL coach? | ||
Yes | 274 | 73.3 % |
No | 100 | 26.7 % |
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