The New York Rangers have named Peter Laviolette as the team's next head coach, according to an official announcement. Laviolette will become the 37th head coach in team history and will replace Gerard Gallant, who was fired following the 2022-23 season.
"We are thrilled that Peter will be the next Head Coach of the New York Rangers," Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said in a press release. "With Peter's extensive experience as a Head Coach in the National Hockey League, as well as the success his teams have had at several levels throughout his career, we are excited about what the future holds with him leading our team."
Laviolette is familiar with the Rangers organization as he played 12 career games with the team during the 1988-89 season.
Over the course of his career, Laviolette has accumulated a 752-503-150 record in 1,430 games as a head coach. Laviolette, 58, has served as the head coach of the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals. He spent the past three seasons as the Capitals head coach before his contract ran out with the franchise following the 2022-23 campaign.
Laviolette currently ranks eighth all-time in NHL coaching wins (752) while ranking first among United States-born head coaches. The veteran bench boss also ranks 11th all-time in terms of games coached.
Laviolette has led his teams to the postseason in 12 of his 21 seasons as an NHL head coach. He has also taken his teams to the Stanley Cup Final in three different seasons, including winning a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006.
The Rangers parted with Gallant after just two seasons as head coach. Gallant led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of those seasons, but New York was eliminated in the opening round of the postseason by the New Jersey Devils in 2023.
