Doug Houda hit every check mark on Jeff Blashill's wish list.
Houda's decade of experience as an assistant with the Boston Bruins, his 550-plus games as an NHL defenseman and his background running penalty kills made for an easy hire as an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings.
"I heard great things about him as a person and as a coach," Blashill said today. "I thought his knowledge was very deep, he's used lots of different systems on penalty kills, and his work with individual defensemen has been very good."
Houda's three-year contract mirrors the term left on Blashill's contract.