LAS VEGAS—Kicked off the bus by the Florida Panthers in November, Gerard Gallant is packing his bags for Las Vegas to take over as the first coach of the NHL expansion Golden Knights. General manager George McPhee cited Gallant’s experience and past success in announcing the hiring on Thursday following what he called an extensive search of candidates. “He is an experienced coach, has had success at multiple levels and has a great reputation amongst the players who have played for him,” McPhee said. Gallant joins the Golden Knights some five months after being unceremoniously fired by the Panthers immediately following a 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes at Carolina. The abrupt firing came after the Panthers got off to an 11-10-1 start, and a year after Gallant was a coach-of-the-year finalist in just his second season in Florida.

Source: thestar April 13, 2017 16:16 UTC