It shouldn’t be difficult for a decorated former NHL coach and Jack Adams Award winner to find another job behind an NHL bench, but that’s the unfortunate reality that former Detroit Red Wings forward Gerard Gallant faced.
Unable to land a new coaching gig in the NHL, Gallant recently accepted the head coaching responsibilities with the KHL's Shanghai Dragons, formerly known as the Kunlun Red Star.
They are members of the Tarasov Division of the KHL’s Western Conference and are currently based in St. Petersburg, as the club hasn't played in China since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
THE MASTER IS HERE pic.twitter.com/0hAK9XYzuU
— Shanghai Dragons (@shadragons) August 13, 2025
While Gallant expressed excitement over the new opportunity, he admitted that there was some frustration on his part over having been unable find another job in the NHL.
"I've been out for two seasons and nothing has happened yet. Am I a little pissed off? Yes, but that's the way it goes, you wait for your turn and your opportunities," said Gallant. "I took this job with the mindset that I'm going to Russia and St. Petersburgh and I'm going to coach there. After the first year there's an out-clause and I'll look at something if something comes up."
"Otherwise, I'm going over there with the focus on the St. Petersburgh team and get the Shanghai Dragons in the playoffs."
Gallant also indicated that he was interested in the vacated head coaching position of the Dallas Stars, who are managed by former Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill; the position ultimately went to Glen Gulutzan.
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Gallant, whom the Red Wings drafted 107th overall in 1981, routinely played on a line with Steve Yzerman. He ultimately skated in 615 career NHL games, the majority of them with Detroit.
During his time with the Red Wings, he was known by the nickname “Spuddy,” a nod to his hometown of Summerside, P.E.I., famous for potato production.
Gallant transitioned into coaching after his playing career, working his way up through the minors before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets as an assistant in 2001.
He became head coach in 2004 following Doug MacLean’s resignation but was dismissed in November 2006. He later served as an assistant with both the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens before taking over the head coaching duties for the Florida Panthers in 2014, eventually. guiding them to the 2016 postseason and earning a Jack Adams Award finalist nod. However, he was let go after a slow start the following season.
Gallant then made history as the first head coach of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, leading them to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season and earning the Jack Adams Trophy. He had also been recognized by being tabbed as head coach of the Pacific Division All-Stars in the 2018 NHL All-Star Game.
Fired by the Golden Knights in surprising fashion early on in the 2019-20 NHL season, Gallant once again found work as the head coach of the New York Rangers. He led them to an appearance in the Eastern Conference Final in 2022, and would become the first head coach to lead the franchise to consecutive 100-point campaigns.
Following their loss to the rival New Jersey Devils in the opening round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Gallant and the Rangers mutually parted ways.
He was most recently the head coach of Team Canada during the 2024 Spengler Cup.
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