DETROIT ? Assistant Dave Lewis was promoted by the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday to replace the retired Scotty Bowman as head coach.

“I know I’m going to be watched,” Lewis said. “I know the team is going to be watched.”

Lewis

Lewis has been a Red Wings assistant since retiring as a player in 1987. He takes over for Bowman, who won a record nine NHL championships, including three with Detroit.

“I just felt Dave was the man for our hockey club,” general manager Ken Holland said. “He knows our team. He knows our players.”

Lewis, who signed a two-year contract Wednesday, was regarded as the frontrunner for the job after Bowman retired June 13 the night Detroit won the Stanley Cup.

“I know what’s expected,” said Lewis, who announced that his coaching staff will include associate coach Barry Smith and former Red Wings player Joe Kocur. “I look forward to the challenge.”

Lewis inherits a team with a number of likely future Hall of Famers, including captain Steve Yzerman Lewis’ teammate in 1986-87. Lewis, whose primary responsibility was handling the defensemen, has worked with three head coaches in Detroit: Jacques Demers, Bryan Murray and Bowman.

Lewis was a defenseman for 15 years with the New York Islanders, Los Angeles, New Jersey and Detroit.

At the beginning of the 1998-99 season, Lewis shared head coaching responsibilities with Smith for the first five regular-season games while Bowman recovered from knee surgery.