The Rangers Gallant Effort

The Blueshirts bet on a new head coach.

Jun 16, 2021

New York Rangers Timeline

On Monday, Chris Drury announced that Gerard Gallant will become the New York Rangers 36th head coach. Before addressing the hiring of Gerard Gallant, let's explore how we got here.

On February 5, the New York Rangers promoted Chris Drury to Associate General Manager. Then, in a bold move, James Dolan, CEO of the New York Rangers, dismissed both president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton on May 5. With the firing, Chris Drury was designated as both associate general manager and president of the organization.

On May 12, head coach David Quinn was fired after three seasons. Assistants Greg Brown, Jacques Martin, and David Oliver were canned as well. As a result, the New York Rangers began their head coaching search immediately.

On June 14, Chris Drury announced Gerard Gallant as the next head coach of the New York Rangers.

Former NHL Player Gerard Gallant Becomes NHL Head Coach

Before becoming an NHL head coach, Gerard Gallant was an NHL player for 11 seasons. Through 615 career games as a member of the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning, he totaled 480 points, including 211 goals and 269 assists.

After his NHL playing experience, he shifted into coaching and became the Columbus Blue Jackets head coach in the 2003-04 season. He was 56-77-4 in his first three seasons with the Blue Jackets. After his three-year stint with the Blue Jackets, he became an assistant coach with the New York Islanders and the Montreal Canadiens.

In 2014-15, Gallant became the head coach of the Florida Panthers. In his three years with the Panthers, Gallant went 96-65-25 while becoming the runner-up for the Jack Adams Award for the best NHL head coach in the 2015-16 season.

After being dismissed midseason by the Florida Panthers, Gerard Gallant then made history when he became the first head coach in Vegas Golden Knights history. In the team's inaugural season, Gallant led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Finals before falling to the Washington Capitals in five games. While leading the Golden Knights to a historic 51-24-7 season, Gallant took home the 2018 Jack Adams Award.

Expectations of Gallant in Year 1

Happy Artemi Panarin GIF by New York Rangers

While taking a year off as an NHL head coach after being dismissed by the Vegas Golden Knights, Gallant remained active. He recently coached Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Championships from May 21 to June 6, where they captured the gold medal.

As Gallant settles into his new role, his first move is to hire a coaching staff. As rumors swirl, Dan Girardi, former New York Rangers captain and current developmental coach for the Buffalo Sabres, appears to be a candidate for the Blueshirts. With the hiring of Gerard Gallant, the New York Rangers should become contenders in the Eastern Conference. One question though: Was it fair to fire Quinn after only three seasons, two of which were once-in-a-generation challenges thanks to the pandemic? Smash that button below to let us know.