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Lightning hire two assistant coaches, won’t fight their way to victory

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This is probably long since forgotten, but when it was rumored that Guy Boucher would become the new head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning (and he did indeed become the coach) it was said that he would be bringing two of his assistants from his former job with Hamilton in the AHL. Fast forward to today’s news out of Tampa Bay and it turns out that initial speculation was true. Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times gives up the info.

The Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday named Daniel Lacroix and Martin Raymond assistant coaches. Both were assistants to coach Guy Boucher last season at AHL Hamilton. A third assistant is expected to be named in the next day or two.

The moves make clear that associate coach Rick Wilson will not be back. He already has been rumored a candidate for an assistant job with the Wild. Unclear is the status of roving goaltenders coach Cap Raeder.

Not only did Steve Yzerman get his man in Guy Boucher, but now Boucher gets to bring his staff from Hamilton with him. That should help in figuring out coaching roles and game plans for what could prove to be a very exciting and non-pugilistic brand of hockey.

And an argument can be made the team hasn’t really had an enforcer-type since Andre Roy. But is that really an issue? We know captain Vinny Lecavalier can take care of himself as can Ryan Malone and Steve Downie, though you don’t really want your top-six guys fighting. And there is still plenty of time to fill out the roster if general manager Steve Yzerman wants to go that way.

But conversations with Yzerman and coach Guy Boucher didn’t make it sound as if adding an enforcer was a burning desire.

“We’d like to have some toughness, but I believe a lot more in team toughness,” Boucher said. “If we have the puck, more often than the other team, we’ll nee d a lot less toughness. The other team will be running after us instead of us running after them.”

Sound familiar at all? It should because that smacks of puck-possession style hockey and avoidance of on-ice brawling of any kind. That sure sounds like Red Wings kind of hockey to me. The Red Wings have been one of the least penalized teams for fighting in recent years but you’d be hard-pressed to call them a weak team. Team toughness, indeed.

Now if Boucher can get Steve Downie to calm down to the point where he again becomes a useful tough guy for the Lightning, they’ll really be cooking. If he reverts back into being a cheap-shot delivering side show, perhaps the Lightning will have an enforcer in their midst whether they want him or not.