Red Wings hire Griffins’ Jeff Salajko as new goaltending coach

By @MichaelCaples –

Exactly one week after they announced the hiring of Doug Houda as a new assistant coach, the Red Wings have selected their new goaltending coach.

Detroit general manager and executive vice president Ken Holland announced today that the Wings have hired Jeff Salajko as their new goaltending – a hire that is close to home.

Salajko, who has been the Grand Rapids Griffins’ goaltending development coach for the last three seasons, will replace Jim Bedard, who was let go following the conclusion of the Red Wings’ 2015-16 season.

Salajko’s bio from the Griffins’ official website:

A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Jeff Salajko begins his third season as the Griffins’ goaltending development coach.

Salajko, 40, enjoyed a seven-year professional goaltending career between the ECHL, AHL and International Hockey League. In 1997-98, he appeared in 26 games with the IHL’s Kansas City Blades, who were owned by Griffins CEO Dan DeVos. From 2008-11, Salajko served as an assistant coach for Ohio State University’s men’s team, where he primarily focused on goaltender development.

After spending the 2011-12 season as an assistant coach for the Ohio Blue Jackets’ junior teams, he returned to Ohio State to work as a goalie coach for the women’s ice hockey program before joining the Griffins for the 2013-14 season.