Not An April Fools’ Joke: Golden Knights Fire Coach Gerard Gallant, Replace Him With Former Just-Fired San Jose Sharks Coach Peter DeBoer

January 15, 2020January 15, 2020 Alan Snel Gerard Gallant, Kelly McCrimmon, Mike Kelly, Peter DeBoer

In the biggest bombshell news of the Vegas Golden Knights’ three-year history, the Knights have fired coach Gerard Gallant.

And Wednesday morning’s news gets more shocking when you consider Gallant’s replacement — Peter DeBoer, who was just fired a month ago from his coaching job for the San Jose Sharks, the team that knocked out the Golden Knights in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in VGK season two last year.

In Gallant’s final game as VGK coach last night, the Golden Knights suffered a 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres in western New York — the fourth consecutive loss for the Knights. During the past week, the Knights have dropped from first place in the Pacific Division to fifth place behind the Coyotes, Oilers, Flames and Canucks. In the three losses before the Knights’ defeat in Buffalo Tuesday night, the Golden Knights started games very sluggishly and dropped behind in the score in each loss.

VGK coach Gerard Gallant (Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com)

Gallant’s assistant coaching sidekick on the Golden Knights, Mike Kelly, was also fired.

Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon said the team “is capable of more than we have demonstrated this season.”

Here’s the full statement by McCrimmon: “In order for our team to reach its full potential, we determined a coaching change was necessary. Our team is capable of more than we have demonstrated this season.

“We would like to thank Gerard and Mike for their service to the Vegas Golden Knights. They were both instrumental to the success we have enjoyed in our first two-plus seasons and we wish them all the best moving forward. In Peter DeBoer, we have a proven, experienced head coach who we believe can help us achieve our ultimate goal. We are excited to welcome Peter and his family to the Vegas Golden Knights organization. We look forward to a strong finish to the 2019-20 season with Peter at the helm and a successful tenure in the seasons to come.”

McCrimmon says in today’s comments that the Golden Knights were under performing.

Gallant’s firing is shocking news because he led the Knights in their first season as an NHL franchise to the Stanley Cup Final. Considered a players’ coach, Gallant, 56, a Price Edward Island, Canada native known by his nickname, Turk,, won the Jack Adams Award during the VGK’s miracle first season as the NHL’s best coach. During this season, Gallant was also named the coach for the Pacific Division All-Star team. So that’s an awkward situation — having a fired coach who was scheduled to manage an All-Star team. Gallant was 118-75-20 with the Golden Knights.

Meanwhile, DeBoer is expected to join Golden Knights in Ottawa Thursday. DeBoer has a career NHL coaching record of 415-329-111 as well as 46 playoff victories following stints with San Jose, New Jersey and Florida. He was named the eighth coach in San Jose Sharks franchise history on May 28, 2015. With San Jose, DeBoer guided the Sharks to a 198-129-34 record over five seasons, including a trip to the first Stanley Cup appearance in team history in 2016.

Prior to joining San Jose, DeBoer coached the New Jersey Devils for three and a half seasons, posting a 114-93-41 record and leading the Devils to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. DeBoer finished his coaching tenure with the Devils as the second-winningest coach in New Jersey franchise history behind Jacques Lemaire (276). DeBoer spent three seasons prior to his stint with the Devils as head coach of the Florida Panthers, compiling a 103-107-36 mark behind the Panthers’ bench.

Gallant also coached the Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets.