Red Wings Head Coach Todd McLellan Throws Veteran Defensemen Under the Bus By Calling Him Out After Bad Game
The pressure is on in Detroit, and after a tough loss to the San Jose Sharks, their Head Coach has called out Justin Holl for a poor performance on the night.
After a below average start to the 2024/25 season, the Detroit Red Wings hired new Head Coach Todd McLellan in December, and with expectations building, it's safe to say that there's not a whole lot of patience for him to turn things around.
He did that very well in his first few weeks with the team, posting seven straight victories, but in their latest matchup against the San Jose Sharks, they fell 6-3 in a horror defensive performance that shows just how bad they can be when they're at their worst.
There were many to blame for the performance, but it appears as though McLellan was happy to single out a specific player, as he called out veteran Justin Holl for his performance in the game after some turnovers led to big goals for the Sharks.
Well, sending a message. He sent himself a message. I think that's pretty obvious.
So whether he got on in the last five minutes or not, it really doesn't matter. He knows he can play better. And I'm telling you before I'm going to tell him, but I am going to tell him that tomorrow and that's up to him to fix.
I know he's a better player than that.»
Holl was surprisingly a +0 on the day, with others on the team dropping to a -2 in the tough loss, but given what is expected of him as a leader, it's safe to say that McLellan and the team expect much more from him.
Despite posting a 7-2-0 mark in the first nine games under McLellan, he's not getting ahead of himself, as the team dug themselves a major hole before he arrived, stating that there's plenty of work to do despite their huge winning streak.
Ultimately, one bad performance won't undo their impressive turnaround as of late, but if players like Holl can't hold up their end of the bargain, this is a team in danger of extending their eight-year Stanley Cup Playoffs drought.
