The New York Rangers announced the hiring of head coach Peter Laviolette on Tuesday, adding a seasoned Stanley Cup-winning veteran to their organization to replace Gerard Gallant.
Thus, the Rangers entrust Laviolette with command of the team at a time when expectations are very high, and which aspires to great honors immediately.
“With Peter’s extensive experience as a head coach in the National Hockey League, and with the successes of his teams at various levels during his career, we are excited about the future with him leading our training,” Chief Executive Chris Drury said in a press release.
The association between Gallant and the Rangers ended in May following the elimination of the New York team in the first round of the playoffs. Gallant spent two seasons in charge of the team and led Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
Since Drury took over as general manager, owner James Dolan’s directive has been to get the organization to its first Stanley Cup since 1994.
Laviolette certainly has all the experience necessary to fulfill this mission. He guided the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006 and led two other organizations to the Finals: the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and the Nashville Predators in 2017.
More recently, Laviolette spent three seasons behind the Washington Capitals bench. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of his first two seasons.
Plagued by numerous injuries, the Capitals were ruled out of the playoffs this season, and both sides have agreed to end their union.
Laviolette, who played his 12 career NHL games with the Rangers in 1988, will be in his sixth different organization as head coach.
After a season in an assistant role in Boston, Laviolette managed the New York Islanders, before serving in similar roles with the Hurricanes, Flyers, Predators and Capitals.
The 58-year-old Laviolette has 752 regular season wins.
