The Vegas Golden Knights shocked a lot of people in the hockey world when they parted ways with head coach Gerard Gallant and assistant coach Mike Kelly last week.
The Golden Knights were in the thick of the hunt for tops in the Pacific Division upon Gallant's dismissal, which made the move even more puzzling.
Jason Simmonds of JournalPioneer.com had a chance to interview Gallant on Saturday, just days after being relieved of his coaching duties. A move, he said, that he never saw coming.
“I was quite surprised actually when it happened,” Gallant commented. “You don't see something coming like that when you have 2 ½ years in.
“I was disappointed and surprised, but I understand the hockey business and things have to change sometimes. They made a tough decision and I'm sure it was tough on them, but that's the way hockey is.”
Many underestimate just how impactful a role that Gallant had played in the expansion franchise's early success. In a nutshell, he essentially took a team of 'misfit players' and turned them into a team who came within inches of winning a Stanley Cup in their inaugural season, something that would have been absolutely unheard of in professional sports.
He, along with assistant Mike Kelly are not expected to remain on the shelf very long. Gallant is a renowned coach, the league over, recognized not just for his coaching abilities, but also for being an overall great human being. The 56-year-old had this to say about potentially returning behind an NHL bench:
“I'm far from done. I enjoy coaching. If an opportunity comes up I will definitely look at it – myself and Mike. Mike is a big part of what I do too and sometimes people forget about the assistant coaches. Mike is a good man, we have been together for a long time.
“It's not just me, Mike is part of that, too. We will get ready and hopefully, something comes up.”
Gallant had also be slated to take up mantle behind the Pacific Division players at the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game next weekend, but just didn't feel proper about assuming the role despite not being employed by a Pacific Division team any longer.
“I talked to the NHL about it and they sort of left it up to me, but I didn't really feel comfortable (going),” said Gallant. “I just said I'd sooner pass.”
All-in-all, Gallant has a pretty good outlook on the whole situation, though it was quite unexpected and not at all what he wanted, especially given his team's position in the standings at the time of his dismissal.
“I was an all-star coach a week and a half ago and we were in first place in our division and then things change and we lost four in a row,” said Gallant. “They made a decision, it isn't too popular with me, but it is what it is and you have to move on.
“I'm not going to worry about the past. I'm going to look at the future and that's what you have to do as a coach.”
“A lot of coaches have texted and said it's not right, but you have to move on and that's what coaching is all about,” said Gallant. “There are a lot of coaches this year who got fired, real good coaches and good people, but that's the business.”
One thing is for certain. There are a lot of high-quality coaches currently available should another organization be contemplating a coaching change either mid-season or in the gap between the conclusion of the 2019-20 campaign and the start of the 2020-21 season.
Babcock, Peters, Laviolette and Gallant are all coaches who have led their teams to the upper-levels of the NHL standings over the past few seasons. It will be interesting to see what happens with these names and a host of others in 2020.
