Gerard Gallant named head coach of Vegas Golden Knights
It’s official: Gerard Gallant is the first-ever head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights.
The expansion team made the announcement on Thursday morning.
Gallant’s name had been among the top contenders for the job since he was fired by the Florida Panthers in late November, less than a year after signing an extension with the club and six months after being named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award.
Gallant had a coaching record of 96-65-25 in parts of three seasons with the Panthers, including the franchise’s best-ever campaign in 2015-16.
“We undertook a very detailed due diligence process over the last several months and canvassed a number of qualified head coaching candidates to ensure we found the best coach for our group,” Vegas general manager George McPhee said via the team’s press release. “And we believe we have found that coach in Gerard. We look forward to working with him to build a team that our fans and our community are proud to support.”
Prior to his time in Florida, Gallant was an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens (2012 to 2014) as well as the New York Islanders (2007 to 2009). He began his NHL coaching career with the Columbus Blue Jackets, first as an assistant (2000 to 2003) and then as head coach (2003 to 2006).
It’s official: Gerard Gallant is the first-ever head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights.
The expansion team made the announcement on Thursday morning.
Gallant’s name had been among the top contenders for the job since he was fired by the Florida Panthers in late November, less than a year after signing an extension with the club and six months after being named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award.
Gallant had a coaching record of 96-65-25 in parts of three seasons with the Panthers, including the franchise’s best-ever campaign in 2015-16.
“We undertook a very detailed due diligence process over the last several months and canvassed a number of qualified head coaching candidates to ensure we found the best coach for our group,” Vegas general manager George McPhee said via the team’s press release. “And we believe we have found that coach in Gerard. We look forward to working with him to build a team that our fans and our community are proud to support.”
Prior to his time in Florida, Gallant was an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens (2012 to 2014) as well as the New York Islanders (2007 to 2009). He began his NHL coaching career with the Columbus Blue Jackets, first as an assistant (2000 to 2003) and then as head coach (2003 to 2006).
