Hockey Former Columbus Blue Jackets bench boss in city for midget AAA tourney

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Kevin Barrett
Telegraph-Journal

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SAINT JOHN - As a player, Gerard Gallant was a Don Cherry delight.

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The Canadian Press

Gerard Gallant, far right, is seen here as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets coaching staff along with Dave King, centre, and Newell Brown.

The Summerside, P.E.I. native had the offensive skills to dominate the scoresheet and the toughness to keep the opposition honest as he skated along high-profile linemates such as Pat Lafontaine or Steve Yzerman.

In 615 big league games from 1984-95, mostly with the Detroit Red Wings, the rugged left winger scored 211 goals, added 269 assists and racked up 1,674 penalty minutes.

Now 45, he also owns more than a decade of coaching experience, including six seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets (three as head coach) and another with the New York Islanders.

The next step, he hopes, is replacing former Saint John Sea Dogs general manager and head coach Jacques Beaulieu in the Port City and leading the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team to a championship.

"I touched base with them, I sent in my resumé and that is about as far as it goes," Gallant said Thursday while in Saint John for the opening day of the Atlantic Major Midget Hockey championship at the Lord Beaverbrook Rink.

"This opportunity came up and we are going to see what happens. This is a pretty good spot and if they are interested and they call me for an interview, I'll be excited."

Gallant's QMJHL experience is extensive as well.

He played 208 regular-season games with Sherbrooke, St. Jean and Verdun in four seasons from 1980 to 1983, recorded 71 points and 168 penalty minutes in the President's Cup playoffs during that span and participated in a pair of Memorial Cup tournaments. He had 12 points in eight games in 1982 and 1984.

His first professional strides took place during a two-year stint with Adirondack in the American Hockey League and then played 11 years in the NHL, highlighted by a 39-goal, 93-point campaign in 1989.

That earned him a berth on the NHL's second all-star team.

After he retired, he coached the Summerside Western Capitals to the Royal Bank Cup in 1997 and made his professional coaching debut as an assistant with Fort Wayne of the International Hockey League in 1998-99.

The following season, he was the assistant coach with the Louisville Panthers of the AHL and then jumped to Columbus. He was the Blue Jackets assistant coach from 2001- 2003 and then took over the Jackets' head coaching position on Jan. 1, 2004. He stayed in that position for 147 games over parts of three seasons before he was fired in November, 2006.

His last job was as an assistant with the New York Islanders in 2007-08 but he left the organization when Scott Gordon as hired as head coach prior to this season and spent the past winter in Summerside and is itching to get back behind the bench.

"Last year was tough," he said. "I didn't coach at all. I stepped down from the Islanders when they got the new head coach so I am definitely looking to get back to coaching."

Having a chance to coach at a high level close to his home would be a dream.

"I am a Maritimer, and this is a good opportunity," he said.