Golden Knights coach Gallant draws praise from peers

TAMPA, Fla. — Gerard Gallant smiled and immediately performed a spin-o-rama that Denis Savard would be proud of to avoid the question.

“Have you started writing your speech for the NHL Awards Show?”

“You know me,” the Golden Knights coach responded after a brief chuckle. “We’ve got a lonnng way to go.”

Gallant doesn’t want to acknowledge it, but he’s nearly a shoo-in to take home the Jack Adams Award as the NHL coach of the year after leading the Knights to the top of the Western Conference standings during the first half of the season.

Gallant’s magic behind the bench of the expansion team was one of the topics of conversation among coaches Saturday during media day for the NHL All-Star Game.

“Oh, my gosh. I don’t have enough time to compliment Turk,” said Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who will lead the Atlantic Division All-Stars on Sunday at Amalie Arena. “It’s not a fluke what’s going on with Vegas. Yeah, they’ve got good players, and they’ve got a good goaltender and stuff like that.

“Somebody has got to make the ship go, and that’s what Turk does.”

Under Gallant, the Knights (32-12-4, 68 points) have a nine-point lead over San Jose in the Pacific Division and are one victory from tying the 1993-94 Anaheim Mighty Ducks and Florida Panthers for the NHL record for most wins by a team in its inaugural season.

Gallant unanimously was voted coach of the year by his peers last week in TSN’s annual midseason survey of NHL coaches.

He also claimed the honor in the Professional Hockey Writers Association poll, which was voted on by more than 150 writers and broadcasters and 2,000 fans.

Gallant won the Jack Adams in 2016 after leading the Florida Panthers to the Atlantic Division title.

“He’s done an unbelievable job,” said Nashville’s Peter Laviolette, who will coach the Central Division. “To think about an expansion team coming in, this is not by luck. This is not by fluke. … For me, there’s a reason why he’s here, there’s a reason their team is at the top of the list.”

This is the second All-Star Game appearance as a coach for Gallant, 54, who led the Atlantic Division All-Stars in 2016.

Florida forward Aleksander Barkov played two-plus seasons under Gallant before he was fired from the Panthers on Nov. 27, 2016, and said Gallant’s relationship with his players is a primary factor in his success.

“He’s one of the biggest reasons I’m here right now,” Barkov said. “He was so good for the team. He was great for the players, and everybody loved him. Everybody loved to come to the rink and work hard and do the things he asked us to do. We had a lot of fun, and I’m pretty sure he’s doing the same thing in Vegas.”

Washington coach Barry Trotz, who will lead the Metropolitan Division squad, complimented Gallant on his ability to quickly unite a group of players who came from other organizations.

“What they’ve done and how he got them to believe, they’ve seamlessly got a group to play very quick systematically and compete on a day in and day out basis. They’re having fun, and they’re creating history,” Trotz said. “Did I think they were going to be leading the (Western Conference)? No, and that’s all on Turk and those guys and that organization.”

Gallant’s competition for the Jack Adams figures to come from a group that includes Colorado’s Jared Bednar, New Jersey’s John Hynes, Boston’s Bruce Cassidy, Winnipeg’s Paul Maurice and Cooper.

For his part, Gallant is doing his best to avoid the chatter.

“I try not to listen to it, to be honest,” Gallant said. “Everybody looks at the record and they’re pretty happy. It’s a good story. I’m just trying to keep the players focused.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.