Gerard Gallant was raised in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada. From very small beginings and with determination, he made his way into the NHL. He was drafted in the 6th round by the Detroit Red Wings in 1981. He was skilled enough to play alongside Red Wings legend and hall of famer Steve Yzerman. In the latter part of his career, he was traded to Tampa Bay Lightning. Over the span of 615 games, he would amass 211 goals, 269 assists with a total of 480 regular season points. During the NHL playoffs he scored 18 goals, 21 assists for a total of 39 points in 58 games. At the end of his playing career, his next logical choice was to become a coach in some capacity.

His first professional coaching experience was with the Florida Panthers affiliate at the time, the Louisville Panthers. He served in the capacity of an assistant coach with them from 1999-2000. From 2001-2003 he served as an assistant coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL. Midway through the 2003-2004 season he would take over as head coach of the Blue Jackets after then head coach Doug MacLean was relieved of his duties. During that season, Gallant oversaw what was a career year in goals (41) for Columbus Blue Jackets star Rick Nash. After the lockout season of 2004-2005, Gallant would continue to coach the Blue Jackets until he was fired 20 games into the 2006-2007 season. Gallant would then be hired as an assistant coach for the New York Islands from 2007-2009. After his stint with the New York Islanders, Gallant would get his most successful coaching job thus far.

During the summer of 2009, Gerard Gallant was hired as the head coach of the St. John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In his first year of coaching, Gallant coached the Sea Dogs to the QMJHL finals. However, they would lose that series. The following year, however, was quite the breakthrough year for the Sea Dogs. With young stars such as Jonathan Huberdeau (now with the Florida Panthers), Charlie Coyle, and Tomas Jurco the Sea Dogs would not only win the QMJHL, but they would also win the Memorial Cup as the best junior hockey team in Canada. The coaching and handling of his players allowed them not only to hone their skills, but also be drafted by NHL teams. The following season the Sea Dogs would once again capture the QMJHL Championship but lose in the Memorial Cup finals. After the Memorial Cup Finals he would receive an offer to coach once again the NHL.

Gerard Gallant became an assistant coach for the Montreal Canadiens in the summer of 2012. He, along with the rest of the coaching staff, helped the Canadiens make it back into the NHL playoffs after a dismal season before their arrival. During his tenure with the Canadiens he worked with young hockey players such as P.K. Subban, Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher and Alexander Galchenyuk. Gallagher and Galchenyuk both were rookies when Gallant stepped in as a coach for the Canadiens. Both have developed nicely and grown into fixtures on the Canadiens. This sort of development of younger players seen here and QMJHL is what made Gallant a coaching candidate for the Florida Panthers.

On June 21st, 2014, Gerard Gallant was named head coach of the Florida Panthers. The Panthers were coming off a rough season where they finished 2nd to last in the league. However, there is a core of good young players including former Sea Dog Jonathan Huberdeau. With the draft complete and most costless agent signings done, the team is taking shape. Coach Gallant hopes that his experience as a player and coach will help guide and gel his players together. The hope from Panthers management is that he is the man to develop their young players while using the experience of the veteran players influence them as well. All signs point to that it can be done.