Gerard Gallant has been an Islanders assistant coach since the 2007-08 season. He previously served as the Columbus Blue Jackets head coach from the 2003-04 season to midway through the 2006-07 season. Gallant was an original member of the Blue Jackets franchise, serving as an assistant coach before his head coaching tenure. In 142 games behind Columbus' bench, Gallant guided the Blue Jackets to a 56-76-10 record.

A former NHL All-Star, Gallant went to Columbus after spending the previous five years coaching at the junior and minor pro levels. In 1999-00, he served as the top assistant with the Louisville Panthers of the American Hockey League and spent the previous season as the assistant coach of the Fort Wayne Komets, of the now defunct International Hockey League. He began his coaching career with the Western Capitals, a Canadian Junior A team, midway through the 1995-96 season.  In his first full season with the club in 1996-97, he led the squad to the Royal Bank Cup Championship, Canada's Junior A national championship tournament, and a 33-11-11 regular season mark. 

As a left wing in the NHL, Gallant was a veteran of 615 games playing with the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning and scored 211 goals with 269 assists for 480 points. Following his rookie season of 1984-85, Gallant averaged 72 games and 56 points per year over the next eight seasons, including four consecutive 70-plus point seasons from 1986-90. He was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1989 after posting career-high totals of 39-54-93 in 76 games. In 563 games with the Detroit Red Wings, Gallant scored 207 goals with 260 assists for 467 points, which ranks among the all-time leaders in Detroit's history in points.

Gallant was originally drafted by Detroit in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft with the 107th overall pick. Before making the jump to the NHL, he spent two seasons with the Adirondack Red Wings which also followed an outstanding career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In 188 QMJHL games from 1980-83, he scored 129 goals with 191 assists for 320 points and with Sherbrooke and Verdun. He helped each team qualify for the Memorial Cup Tournament, in 1982 and 1983 respectively.

Gerard and his wife Pam are the parents of a daughter, Melissa, and son, Jason.