SHANGHAI — Gerard Gallant has been named the new head coach of the Kontinental Hockey League's Shanghai Dragons.
Gallant last coached the New York Rangers for two seasons, earning back-to-back 100-point seasons, but he left the NHL team after its first-round playoff exit in 2023.
He has a 369-262-70 coaching record in the NHL, with stints leading the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and New York. He won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2017-18 with the Golden Knights.
The 61-year-old Gallant is from Summerside, P.E.I., and played his junior hockey for the Sherbrooke Castors and Verdun Juniors.
He went on to play in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring 211 goals with 269 assists and 1,674 penalty minutes.
Gallant takes over a team that was originally based in Beijing as Kunlun Red Star, created as part of China's preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The newly branded franchise will be based in St. Petersburg, Russia, until its home in Shanghai is ready.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.
The Canadian Press
