Gerard "Turk" Gallant is a Canadian ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 coach and former NHL player.

Gallant was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

 in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft

1981 NHL Entry Draft

The 1981 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 211 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1980–81 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those players...

, sixth round, one-hundred seventh overall.

He scored 211 goals

Goal (ice hockey)

In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...

 in 615 games as a leftwinger

Winger (ice hockey)

Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...

 for the Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...

. He also scored 18 playoff goals. His nickname is a shortened form of a nickname his older brother used for him: "Turkey".

Despite his smaller stature (5'10, 180 lbs), Gallant was known as a power forward during his time with the Red Wings. He was a team leader, and served as an alternate captain alongside either Bob Probert

Bob Probert

Robert Alan Probert was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. Probert played for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks...

, Rick Zombo

Rick Zombo

Richard J. Zombo is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the NHL for 12 seasons between 1984 and 1996...

, or Steve Chiasson

Steve Chiasson

Steven Joseph Chiasson was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, Calgary Flames, Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes.-NHL career:...

. During the late 1980s, Gallant was a fixture on the Red Wings top line alongside Steve Yzerman

Steve Yzerman

Stephen Gregory "Steve" Yzerman is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and current general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League...

.

Gallant was named to the NHL All Star Second Team

NHL All-Star Team

The NHL All-Star Teams were first named at the end of the 1930–31 NHL season, to honor the best performers over the season at each position.Representatives of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the All-Star Team at the end of the regular season.The career leaders in citations are...

 for the 1988-89 NHL season

1988-89 NHL season

-NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring Leaders:Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes, PPG = Powerplay Goals, SHG = Shorthanded Goals, GWG = Game Winning Goals-Leading goaltenders:...

.

He was the head coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 of the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

's Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

 before being fired on Monday, November 13, 2006.

Gallant was an assistant coach for the New York Islanders

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 during the 2007–08 season.

On Friday, April 24, 2009, Gerard was named head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs

Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, entering the league as an expansion team in 2005. The Sea Dogs play at Harbour Station, Saint John, New Brunswick, with a capacity of 6,488...

 of the QMJHL. He led the team to their first QMJHL President's Cup Final with a league best 109 points and subsequently was named the 2010 Canadian Hockey League

Canadian Hockey League

The Canadian Hockey League is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canadian-based major junior ice hockey leagues for players 16 to 20 years of age. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three member leagues, the Western Hockey...

 Coach of the Year.

Gallant was considered a top candidate to take the head coach position of the Ottawa Senators after the April 9, 2011 firing of then coach Cory Clouston.
He has also served as an assistant coach for the Fort Wayne Komets of the then UHL.

Coaching record

Team	| Year	| Regular season							| Post season
		G	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	Finish	Result
CBJ Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...	2003–04	45	16	24	4	1	(62)	4th in Central Central Division (NHL) The NHL's Central Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Western Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Norris Division.The Central Division consists of the Western Conference's easternmost teams.-Current lineup:...	Missed playoffs
CBJ	2005–06	82	35	43	–	4	74	3rd in Central	Missed playoffs
CBJ	2006–07	15	5	9	–	1	(73)	4th in Central	(fired)
Total		142	56	76	4	6

External links

• Stats at Hockeydb.com
• Feature at NHL.com