Petrolia native Michael Leighton is joining the Detroit Red Wings coaching staff.
The former NHL goalie has been hired as goaltending coach.
The 44-year-old joins the hockey club after spending parts of the last three seasons as goaltending coach with the Windsor Spitfires.
Leighton spent 18 seasons playing professional hockey from 2001 to 2019 before starting a coaching career.
Originally selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the sixth round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Leighton posted a 37-43-10-4 record with a 2.98 goals-against average, a 0.900 save percentage and four shutouts in 110 regular-season appearances with the Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Carolina Hurricanes.
The 2025 AHL Hall of Fame inductee was the first goaltender in Blackhawks history to earn a shutout in his NHL debut, on January 8, 2003.
He also logged an 8-4 record with a 2.54 goals-against average, a 0.913 save percentage and three shutouts in 16 postseason contests, helping the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.
Leighton tied an NHL record for most shutouts in a single Stanley Cup Playoff series, collecting three shutouts in five starts during the 2010 Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens.
