Gerard Gallant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gerard Gallant |
||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gallant with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018
|
||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 2, 1963 Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada |
|||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | |||||||||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | |||||||||||||||
| Position | Left wing | |||||||||||||||
| Shot | Left | |||||||||||||||
| Played for | Detroit Red Wings Tampa Bay Lightning |
|||||||||||||||
| Coached for | Columbus Blue Jackets Florida Panthers Vegas Golden Knights New York Rangers |
|||||||||||||||
| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
|||||||||||||||
| NHL Draft | 107th overall, 1981 Detroit Red Wings |
|||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1984–1995 | |||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1998–present | |||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||
Gerard Gallant (born September 2, 1963) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and a former player. He was most recently the head coach for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He also coached the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, and Vegas Golden Knights.
Gallant won the Jack Adams Award in 2018 as the NHL's best coach. This was during the Golden Knights' first season. He also won the Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award twice in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). His team, the Saint John Sea Dogs, won two President's Cups and one Memorial Cup with him as coach. Before coaching, Gallant played eleven seasons in the NHL. He mostly played for the Detroit Red Wings. He also had a short time with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Contents
Growing Up and Early Hockey
Gerard Gallant was born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada. He grew up very close to an ice rink. He and his friends would often sweep the stands. This helped them get extra time to skate on the ice.
Gallant has been called "Turk" since he was a young child. When he joined the NHL, some players also called him "Spuddy." This was because Prince Edward Island is famous for its potatoes.
Playing as a Junior
At 16, Gallant played for the Summerside Crystals. He scored 60 goals and 115 points in just 45 games. This was in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League.
As a junior player, Gallant played for three teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). These teams were the Sherbrooke Castors, St. Jean Beavers, and Verdun Juniors. He was the team captain in his last year of junior hockey.
After his first junior season in 1981, Gallant was almost named the QMJHL's best offensive rookie.
Playing in the NHL
The Detroit Red Wings picked Gallant in the 1981 NHL entry draft. He was the 107th player chosen overall.
Starting Professional Hockey
Gallant began his professional career in 1983 with the Adirondack Red Wings. This team was in the American Hockey League (AHL). At 19, he was the youngest regular player on the team. In his first full season, he scored 31 goals and had 64 points. He also had 195 penalty minutes in 77 games.
In the 1984–85 season, Gallant played in both the AHL and NHL. He played his first game for the Detroit Red Wings on January 22, 1985. In that game, he scored a goal against Billy Smith. Detroit won 5–4, ending a 12-game losing streak. In his second game, he got into a fight with Bob Brooke.
Becoming a Regular Player
Gallant became a full-time player for the Red Wings in the 1985–86 season. In December 1985, he broke his jaw during a fight. His jaw was wired shut for six weeks, and he missed many games. When he returned, he wore a special face mask on his helmet. That season, he played 52 games, scoring 20 goals and 39 points.
In November 1986, Gallant was involved in an accident during a game. His skate blade accidentally cut the face of Börje Salming. Salming needed surgery and many stitches.
Gallant's career improved after Jacques Demers became the Red Wings coach in 1986. For the next four seasons, he averaged 36 goals and 80 points. He was named to the NHL All-Star Second Team for the 1988–89 NHL season.
Later Career and Retirement
Injuries, especially to his back, caused Gallant to miss many games in the 1990–91 season. In March 1991, he had surgery on his back. This made him miss the rest of that season and the playoffs. He returned for the 1991–92 and 1992–93 seasons. He was still a strong player, but he didn't score as much. The Red Wings did not offer him a new contract.
In 1993, Gallant signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played 51 games with them in 1993–94. He also played one game in the short 1995 season. He played 16 games with the Atlanta Knights, a farm team for the Lightning.
In October 1995, Gallant joined the Detroit Vipers in the IHL. He started well, but in November 1995, he hurt his back in practice. This injury ended his playing career at age 32. Gallant finished his NHL career with 211 goals in 615 games. He also scored 18 goals in playoff games.
Playing for Team Canada
Gallant played for Team Canada in the 1989 World Ice Hockey Championships. He played with his Red Wings teammate Steve Yzerman. Gallant scored two goals and had three assists in eight games. Team Canada won the silver medal.
Player Style
Even though he was not the biggest player (5 feet 10 inches, 180 pounds), Gallant played like a power forward. He played on the Red Wings' top line with star Steve Yzerman. He was one of the team's top scorers and also had many penalty minutes.
In the 1988–89 season, Gallant scored 39 goals, 54 assists, and had 230 penalty minutes. This was a rare achievement in NHL history. Only two other players later matched it. His coach, Jacques Demers, believed Gallant could have scored 50 goals if he didn't fight so much. Gallant was known for fighting often in games.
Gallant was a popular teammate. He served as an alternate captain for the Red Wings. He was also acting captain when Steve Yzerman was injured in 1988.
Nick Polano, a former Wings coach, said Gallant was a "tough kid, a tough competitor."
Coaching Career
Gallant started coaching in 1995–96 with his hometown team, the Summerside Capitals. He led them to win the Royal Bank Cup in 1997.
Early Professional Coaching
In 1998, Gallant became an assistant coach for the Fort Wayne Komets in the IHL. He then worked as an assistant for the Louisville Panthers in the AHL.
From 2001 to 2004, Gallant was an assistant coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL. His former Team Canada coach, Dave King, was one of the head coaches there. In January 2004, the Blue Jackets' general manager, Doug MacLean, made Gallant the head coach. Gallant coached the Blue Jackets until November 2006, when he was replaced.
In 2007, Steve Yzerman chose Gallant to be an assistant coach for Team Canada. They won the gold medal at the 2007 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.
Gallant was an assistant coach for the New York Islanders from 2007 to 2009.
Coaching in Junior Hockey Again
In 2009, Gallant became the head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL. In three seasons, his team had an amazing record. They finished first three times and won two QMJHL championships (2011 and 2012). They also won the Memorial Cup in 2011. Gallant was named the CHL Coach of the Year twice (2010 and 2011).
Return to the NHL as Head Coach
In 2012, Gallant returned to the NHL as an assistant coach for the Montreal Canadiens.
On June 21, 2014, he became the head coach of the Florida Panthers. In his first season, the team greatly improved. In the 2015–16 season, Gallant led the Panthers to a club record of 47 wins and 103 points. They won their division title for the second time. Gallant was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award that year. In November 2016, Gallant was fired by the Panthers.
On April 13, 2017, Gallant was named the first head coach of the new Vegas Golden Knights team.
Gallant led the Golden Knights to an amazing first season. They set an NHL record for most wins by an expansion team. They also won their division title. In April 2018, Gallant was nominated for the Jack Adams Award again, and he won it in June. The Golden Knights made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, but they lost to the Washington Capitals.
Gallant led the Golden Knights to the playoffs again in 2019. However, they lost in the first round. Gallant was fired by the Golden Knights in January 2020 after a losing streak.
In April 2021, Gallant coached Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Championship. After a tough start, Team Canada won the gold medal.
On June 16, 2021, Gallant became the head coach of the New York Rangers. He led the Rangers to two seasons with over 100 points. This was a first for the team in his first two years. He left the Rangers after their first-round playoff exit in 2023.
Personal Life
Gerard Gallant is married to Pam, and they have two children, Melissa and Jason. Melissa is married to former hockey player Darryl Boyce. Jason played hockey for the Summerside Western Capitals and now coaches youth hockey.
Awards and Achievements
As a Player
- QMJHL championship: 1982, 1983
- QMJHL All-Star Third Team: 1982–83
- NHL All-Star Second Team: 1988–89
- IIHF World Championship – silver medal: 1989
As a Coach
- RBC Cup: 1997
- Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame: inducted 2001
- Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award: 2010, 2011
- IIHF World Championship – gold medal: 2007, 2021
- QMJHL League championship: 2011, 2012
- Memorial Cup championship: 2011
- Ron Lapointe Trophy – QMJHL Coach of the Year: 2011
- NHL All-Star Game: 2016, 2018
- Jack Adams Award: 2018
- The Hockey News, Scotty Bowman Award (Best Coach): 2018
