‘Everything is new’
Kelly joins Gallant with expansion Vegas Golden Knights
Mike Kelly and Gerard (Turk) Gallant are back working together.
The expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who begin play in the NHL in the fall, named Kelly the franchise’s first-ever assistant coach on Gallant’s staff. Golden Knights general manager George McPhee made the announcement in a news release on Thursday.
“Very excited for a lot of reasons,” Kelly said in a phone interview. “The familiarity with Turk has a lot to do with it, and getting in with a team on the ground level is very attractive. Everything is new.”
Kelly noted there is quite a bit of familiarity for the two Prince Edward Islanders with the Golden Knights’ staff.
“The other thing is we know a lot of the people working in the organization,” offered Kelly, 57. “There is a lot of really highend character people, and that’s very attractive as well.
“I just like everything that they’ve been talking about; it’s all about the team. It’s not about individuals, it’s about the team. I know that’s the way I think, and I know that’s the way Turk thinks. That said, there’s going to be a lot of work to do early on, but you get to see the progression.”
Kelly, a Kinkora Regional High School graduate who now lives in Cornwall, has worked with Gallant on two separate occasions. Most recently, Kelly was an assistant coach under Gallant with the Florida Panthers, and previously they coached the Saint John Sea Dogs to two Quebec Major Junior Hockey League titles and one Memorial Cup national championship.
“I am very excited to be working with Mike again,” said Gallant, a Summerside native, in a media release. “We enjoyed success in both Florida and Saint John, and I am eager to bring that success to the Golden Knights.
“Mike is a great guy with a wealth of hockey knowledge, and I couldn’t be happier with the decision to bring him to Las Vegas.”
Kelly said Gallant is an easy boss to work for, and noted one of his traits is his willingness to seek input from both members of his coaching staff and players.
“If you are that person and you feel you are an important piece of the puzzle, it does a lot for your confidence and provides a lot of motivation,” said Kelly, who also has experience as an NHL assistant coach with Vancouver. “That’s why players want to play for him.”
With the players all coming from different teams and backgrounds, Kelly expects one area of focus will be to get everybody on the same page. He is also looking forward to the teaching aspect that comes with a new franchise.
“As the young players start to come in, it will be huge,” said an excited Kelly. “It will be like it was in Florida.
“Our improvement will depend on the younger players. That’s the mindset we went into Florida with and it worked pretty well, and I don’t see any reason why it won’t work in Vegas.”