from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

Detroit Red Wings heads coach Jeff Blashill’s approach is to not worry about the possibility of being fired.

Two NHL colleagues have gotten the boot over the past few days: the Chicago Blackhawks fired Joel Quenneville on Tuesday after three Stanley Cup championships over 11 seasons, and the Los Angeles Kings fired John Stevens one month into his second season as their head coach.

Does Blashill feel heat standing behind the bench of a team that appears to be headed for a third straight playoff miss?

“I was given this quote a while ago,” Blashill said, “and I think it’s a great quote for anybody in any high pressurized job where there is hirings and firings: the best soldiers are the ones that aren’t afraid to die.

“I don’t come here at any point at any time worried about that. I come here worried about doing the very best job I can. I think it’s a total waste of time to worry about anything else except for controlling what you can control and that’s doing the job the best you can. At the end of the day, I also know perspective — I’ve got a great family. I go home and have tons of fun with them — that’s what is tons of importance.”

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