Gallant keeps mood light as Golden Knights await Cup Final opponent

LAS VEGAS -- Vegas Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant was asked Tuesday what it was like to play against the man who now happens to be his boss, general manager George McPhee.
"He was a competitive, hard-nosed player that worked hard," Gallant said.
Would McPhee, who played 115 games over six seasons with the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, fit on this Golden Knights team?
"I think so. I think we'd find a spot for him," Gallant said, before adding, "On the fourth line."

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The atmosphere was relaxed and Gallant's mood was light in his first meeting with the media back in Las Vegas since the Golden Knights advanced to the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday with a 2-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final. They became the third team in NHL history to make it to the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season, joining the Toronto Arenas (1918) and St. Louis Blues (1968).
Gallant has come a long way since his previous NHL coaching job literally left him holding the bags. He was fired 22 games into the season by the Florida Panthers on Nov. 27, 2016, after a 3-2 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes.

Almost immediately, photos surfaced of Gallant and assistant coach Mike Kelly grabbing their bags and climbing into a taxi outside PNC Arena. (Gallant later said the Panthers had called a car service, but he opted not to wait).
He has rocketed from unemployment to helping craft one of the most remarkable stories in sports history with the Golden Knights.
"That was definitely a tough two weeks after Florida when I got let go there," Gallant said. "You know what? That's part of our sport and that's part of our business, and everybody accepts that. After the two weeks, I moved on and I was looking for the next opportunity.
"And, like I said, I felt pretty good because I know the 2 1/2 years prior to that, things went real well in Florida. Even the year I got fired, it was still, we were a .500 hockey team (11-10-1) at the time, and it was early in the season.
"A lot of people made calls to me: 'Don't worry about it. You'll get another job.' So things worked out real good."
Gallant wasn't out of work for long. The Golden Knights started talking to him a few weeks after he was fired by the Panthers, and then hired him April 13, 2017.
His firing by the Panthers didn't change Gallant's core beliefs in his coaching philosophy or his approach with his players. He was 96-65-25 in three seasons with the Panthers and guided them to first place in the Atlantic Division in 2015-16.
Gallant's style translated almost immediately to Vegas. The Golden Knights won eight of their first nine games, and Gallant coached them to unprecedented success for a first-year NHL team (51-24-7, 109 points). Vegas became the first modern-era expansion team from any of the four North American professional sports leagues to start from scratch and win its division.

Gallant, Jared Bednar (Colorado Avalanche) and Bruce Cassidy (Boston Bruins) were named finalists for the Jack Adams Award on April 25, given annually to the coach voted best in the NHL. Gallant was also a finalist in 2016 with the Panthers.
The Golden Knights went 12-3 in the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and are in something of a holding pattern this week, waiting for the conclusion of the Eastern Conference Final between the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning will host Game 7 on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN1, TVAS).
Despite Vegas being an expansion team, there are storylines between the Golden Knights and Capitals, and the Golden Knights and Lightning.
McPhee was Washington's general manager for 17 years, from 1997 to 2014.
Gallant played the final 52 games of his NHL career with the Lightning from 1993-95, and Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman and Gallant were teammates with the Detroit Red Wings for nine seasons in the 1980s and early '90s.
"We met each other in our time in Detroit and we became good friends, more to do with being off the ice and being roommates for a little bit," Gallant said.
Gallant played on a line with Yzerman and Paul MacLean in 1988-89. It was no coincidence Gallant put up NHL career highs in goals (39), assists (54) and points (93) that season.
"Obviously, a player like myself enjoyed playing with a top-end player like Yzerman," Gallant said of the Hockey Hall of Famer. "You get more points, you get more goals, and you get more looks at the net. So it's fun to play with him."
Still, Yzerman's status as a franchise player didn't excuse him from certain duties.
"He was the younger guy, so he had to get the food when we ordered food," Gallant said, smiling. "He was the better player, but he still had to do the food."