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SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. —

Columnist Fred (Fiddler) MacDonald couldn’t believe Wednesday’s news.

Summerside’s Gerard (Turk) Gallant and his loyal assistant coach Mike Kelly, who grew up in Shamrock and lives in Cornwall during the off-season, had been fired by the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.

“It’s an absolute stunner,” said MacDonald, the longtime sports columnist for The Guardian. “It’s a slap in the face to a great coach. It’s sickening. I can’t believe it.”

NEWS



The Golden Knights have made the following coaching changes:



Gerard Gallant & Mike Kelly have been relieved of their coaching duties



Peter DeBoer has been named head coachhttps://t.co/rQsULKgYzR — Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) January 15, 2020

Gallant, 56, and Kelly, who turns 60 on Friday, helped the expansion Knights reach the Stanley Cup final in Year 1 of their existence, losing in five games to the Washington Capitals in 2018. They set an expansion record for wins in a season with 51 and Gallant won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year.

They lost to the San Jose Sharks in Game 7 of the 2019 first round. They were up 3-0 in the third period when Vegas forward Cody Eakin was handed a five-minute major penalty for a controversial cross-checking call. The Sharks scored four straight power-play goals and eliminated the Golden Knights.

I’ve known Gerard Gallant since he was 10 years of age. He is an excellent coach and a wonderful person. A good man lost his job today . #sickening — Doug Maclean (@DougMaclean) January 15, 2020

Gallant and Kelly had a 118-75-20 record in Vegas. The two also coached the Florida Panthers and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Saint John Sea Dogs together. They won a Memorial Cup with the Sea Dogs in 2011 in Mississauga, Ont.

Gallant declined an interview when contacted by the Journal Pioneer on Wednesday.

The Knights (24-19-6) are in fifth place in the Pacific Division, three points back of division-leading Arizona (26-18-5). Vegas has as many points as Winnipeg and Vancouver for the Western Conference’s two wild-card spots, but the Knights have played two more games.

“In order for our team to reach its full potential, we determined a coaching change was necessary,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a release. “Our team is capable of more than we have demonstrated this season.”

🎥 Fleury: I think we need to hear this message loud and clear, turn things around and be better. pic.twitter.com/nW1At2GqwX — Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) January 15, 2020

The decision came after Vegas lost 4-2 in Buffalo on Tuesday. It was the squad’s fourth straight loss.

MacDonald said every team in every pro league goes through stretches where they are not playing their best.

“When you have a great coach like Gerard, they will bounce back, so you don't panic over it. It’s just part of the nature of pro sports,” he said. “You have a head coach who is as good as anybody in the National Hockey League, if not better. He’s a players’ coach. They give him 100 per cent. That’s all you can ask.”

What a mistake the @GoldenKnights just made. 3 points out of 1st place in division, firing the coach of the Pacific Division All-Stars. Lots of underperforming NHL teams will be licking their chops. #Detroit — Darcy Ashley (@MushroomCupToad) January 15, 2020

Gallant played 615 NHL games with Detroit and Tampa Bay, amassing 211 goals, 269 assists for 480 points and 1,674 penalty minutes between 1984-95.

Capfriendly.com says Gallant had a four-year contract that goes through the 2020-21 season.

The Golden Knights play the second contest of an eight-game road trip tonight in Ottawa.

Vegas has hired Peter DeBoer as the new bench boss. He was relieved of his duties as San Jose’s head coach earlier this season. Charlottetown Islanders head coach Jim Hulton served as an assistant coach with DeBoer in Florida from 2008-10.

Related:

• Scott Stinson: Gerard Gallant is proof — being NHL coach of the year doesn't give you job security

• Vegas Golden Knights decided they need to move on from coach Gerard Gallant