Red Wings Hire New Goaltending Coach
July 7th, the Red Wings made the following announcement:
Leighton was a sixth round pick in the 1999 NHL draft and played 110 games for the Blackhawks, Predators, Flyers, and Hurricanes. He also played 15 seasons in the AHL, earning himself an induction into the AHL Hall of Fame, and a career .238 goals against average with a 250-186-55 record lifetime. Perhaps the most nutty stat is that he holds the record for most saves in a single game, stopping 98 of 101 shots against Philadelphia in a 5-OT game.
As a coach, Leighton spent 4 years with the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL, where the team won back-to-back regular season titles in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. During his tenure, the SV% of all goalies was the following:
2021-2022: .865
2022-2023: .869
2023-2024: .841
2024-2025: .879
The goalies that he’ll get to work with, Gibson and Talbot, are definitely the most talented goalie tandem that Detroit has had in… ten years? So, Leighton should have everything in front of him to be successful with the Wings. However, there is one awkward moment that Leighton may need to overcome with a different rostered Red Wing:
June 9, 2010: Patrick Kane’s Stanley Cup winning goal in OT of Game 6 in Philadelphia.
pic.twitter.com/9bhdzOUb9B— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) June 9, 2023
