(NEW YORK) — The New York Rangers have hired Gerrard Gallant as its next head coach.
“We are excited to announce that Gerard will be the next Head Coach of the New York Rangers,” New York Rangers President and General Manager said in a statement. “His vast experience and success behind the bench at several levels make him the ideal choice to lead our team on the ice.”
The Rangers fired David Quinn last month after a disappointing year as they finished fifth in the Eastern Division with a 27-23-6 record.
The Rangers were Quinn’s first NHL head coaching job. Before joining New York, he was the head coach at Boston University. Quinn led a rebuilding Ranger team for three years and finished with a 96-87-25 record.
Gallant becomes the 36th head coach in franchise history.
He inherits a young roster with nine players under the age of 24 who played at least 30 games this past season, including the number one overall pick in the 2020 draft, Alexis Lafreniere, and the number two overall pick in 2019, Kappo Kakko.
He has been a head coach for Columbus, Florida, and Vegas and has a 270-216-4-51 record in nine years behind the bench.
Gallant was the first-ever head coach for Vegas and led them to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural 2017-2018 season. The Golden Knights lost 4-1 to the Capitals.
He was fired by the team in January 2020.
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