
Playing on the Red Wings top line alongside star Steve Yzerman and either Bob Probert or Paul MacLean, he was among the team leaders in both goals and penalty minutes.

Player profile ĭespite his smaller stature (5 ft 10 in, 180 lbs), Gallant played the role of power forward during his time with the Red Wings - similar to NHL contemporary Kevin Dineen. Playing alongside Red Wings teammate Steve Yzerman, Gallant scored two goals and had three assists in eight games as the Canadians won the silver medal. Gallant played for Team Canada at the 1989 World Ice Hockey Championships under head coach Dave King. Gallant finished his NHL career with 211 goals in 615 games as a left winger for the Red Wings and Lightning. However, on November 5, 1995, he suffered a career-ending back injury in practice and was forced to retire at the age of 32.
Gallant wiki free#
On October 23, 1995, Gallant signed as a free agent with the Detroit Vipers of the IHL, and was off to a good start with two goals and an assist in three games. He played in 51 games with the Lightning in 1993–94 and one game in the lockout-shortened 1995 season, along with 16 games with the Atlanta Knights, the Lightning's top farm team in the International Hockey League (IHL). On July 22, 1993, Gallant signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He provided his usual physical presence and finished with a +16 and +20 plus/minus rating however was unable to duplicate his scoring prowess and the Wings did not offer him a contract to return. Gallant returned to the Wings as a full-time regular for the 1991––93 seasons. In March 1991, he was forced to undergo surgery to remove a bone spur from his back, causing him to miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. Injuries, mostly to his back, caused Gallant to miss over 30 games over the 1990–91 NHL season. While he never played in the All-Star Game, he was named to the NHL All Star Second Team for the 1988–89 NHL season. In his next four seasons he averaged 36 goals, 80 points, and 235 penalty minutes. Gallant's career took off after Jacques Demers was hired as the Red Wings head coach in 1986. The injury required facial surgery and more than two hundred stitches to Salming's face. During a scrum in front of the Leafs net, Gallant accidentally cut the face of Börje Salming with his skate blade after Salming had been knocked down. Gallant was part of an unfortunate incident in a November 26, 1986, game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Red Wings in Detroit. He ultimately appeared in 52 games, scoring 20 goals with 39 points and 106 penalty minutes. When he returned, he sported a football-style face mask on his helmet. Gallant's jaw had to be wired-shut for six weeks, causing him to miss six weeks of games. However, in a December 11 game against the Minnesota North Stars, he suffered a broken jaw during a fight with Dirk Graham. Gallant opened the 1985–86 season as a full-time regular with the Red Wings. In his second game, he fought Rangers' forward Bob Brooke. In his first game, he scored against Islanders' goaltender Billy Smith in the second period of a 5–4 Detroit victory that snapped a 12-game Red Wings' winless streak. Gallant split the 1984–85 season between the AHL and NHL, making his Detroit Red Wings debut against the New York Islanders on January 22, 1985.
Gallant wiki full#
Spending the full 1983–84 season in the minor league, he finished with 31 goals, 64 points and 195 penalty minutes in 77 games. At the age of 19, he was the youngest regular on the roster.


Gallant wiki professional#
Gallant made his professional debut with the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 1983. Gallant was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, sixth round, 107th overall. Īfter his first junior season in 1981, Gallant finished as runner-up to Claude Verret in voting for 1980–81 Michel Bergeron Trophy as QMJHL offensive rookie of the year. Gallant served as team captain during his final year in juniors. While playing for the Summerside Crystals of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League at the age of 16, he netted 60 goals and 115 points in just 45 games.Īs a junior, Gallant played for three teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League: the Sherbrooke Castors (1980–81, 1981–82), the St. Gallant stated that when he first got to the NHL, a lot of the guys also called him "Spuddy" because of Prince Edward Island's reputation as the potato capital of Canada. Gallant has had the nickname "Turk" since he was three or four years old. He grew up near a local ice rink and was often found sweeping the stands with his buddies in exchange for extra ice time. Gallant was born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
