Gerard Gallant’s last memories in the NHL have been anything but fond. Throughout his coaching career, there have been several moments he might want back, but that’s water under the bridge now. As recently announced, the bench boss who last coached the New York Rangers in 2023 has now joined a shocking team.
Gallant joined the Rangers ahead of the 2021-22 NHL season, but since then his life has been a rollercoaster. Not that it wasn’t turbulent before. Albeit coaching the Broadway Blueshirts to back-to-back 100-point seasons, the lack of postseason success ultimately dug his grave.
The head coach called it a day in Manhattan after the 2022-23 campaign, in which the Rangers were knocked out in the first round by the New Jersey Devils. The elimination in seven games against the Tri-State area rival was too much to overcome.
Since then, Gallant hadn’t coached. Until now, that Gallant’s new team has been confirmed. It had been reported the long-time manager would join the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), but the exact location has been dropped. The pop-culture meme has come true: it’s time to learn Chinese.
“Gerard Gallant is the new head coach of the Shanghai Dragons,” the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) announced on its social media, per @KHL_eng.
Sound familiar?
The Shanghai Dragons are the KHL’s newest organization. Originally the Kunlun Red Star, the franchise joined the Tarasov Division in 2016, but has now relocated to Shanghai under a new name. How fitting that Gallant’s first job after leaving the Big Apple is in a city often called the New York of China.
Moreover, there are other parallels with Gallant’s previous jobs. The 61-year-old took over behind the bench for the Vegas Golden Knights in their debut season, leading them to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Washington Capitals. Now, he’ll chase similar success in the Dragons’ inaugural year—this time hoping to end on a high note.
How does the KHL work?
Considered the best league in Europe, the KHL is home to a lot of top talents. Many of which often find their way into the NHL, or vice versa. Look no further than Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Kirill Kaprizov and many others for examples of players who transitioned from the Old World to North America in dominant fashion.
The league currently features 23 teams—20 from Russia and one each from China, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Its season format closely mirrors the NHL’s, with teams split into East and West conferences and the top eight from each advancing to the Gagarin Cup Playoffs. Series are best-of-seven, but unlike the NHL, there’s no fixed bracket: in each round, the highest remaining seed faces the lowest remaining seed.
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One key difference is the introduction of the Nadezhda Cup (Cup of Hope), where teams that miss the playoffs participate. The last team standing wins the top pick in the upcoming junior draft.