the next two years from the Kings. Without an NHL job, Cloutier took up an assistant coaching position in the Central Hockey League (CHL) with his older brother Sylvain Cloutier, who had just been hired as head coach of the Corpus Christi IceRays. Return to hockey and retirement (2009–10) After remaining inactive for a season, Cloutier was offered a tryout with the Canucks for the team's 2009 training camp. Soon thereafter, he accepted another tryout offer from the Detroit Red Wings on September 4, 2009, sensing he had a better chance to secure a contract with the latter team. He was expected to compete with Jimmy Howard for the Wings' backup position. On September 21, Cloutier made his first and only pre-season appearance with the Red Wings, splitting a game with Wings prospect Daniel Larsson; he stopped all eight shots he faced in a 4–2 loss against the New York Rangers. While Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland said Cloutier "looked sharp" in his first NHL action since April 5, 2008, he also alluded to the media that the amount of goaltenders competing for spots within the Red Wings organization was a factor against the likelihood of him signing Cloutier. Three days later, he was officially released from the Red Wings. Cloutier subsequently received several offers to play in Europe until signing a tryout contract with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL in December 2009. He reportedly had received offers from two other North American teams, but chose Rockford as the best choice for his family. Cloutier made his IceHogs debut on December 6 against the Manitoba Moose, marking his return to professional hockey after 18 months. He played 26 minutes before receiving a match penalty for punching Moose player Guillaume Desbiens after the opposing forward collided with him in his crease. The following day, Cloutier was additionally suspended by the AHL for one game. After serving his ban, he recorded his first win the IceHogs against the Texas Stars on December 12. Cloutier began receiving interest from NHL teams, but his hip began acting up once again. By the end of the month, Cloutier and the IceHogs mutually agreed to terminate his tryout contract. He recorded one win and one loss in three games with the IceHogs, along with a 2.47 GAA and .893 save percentage. In a later interview, published on the Canucks' website in August 2010, Cloutier