Gerard Gallant, the new head coach of the New York Rangers, officially rounded out his coaching staff on Tuesday as general manager Chris Drury announced that the team has brought on Gord Murphy, Mike Kelly, and Jim Midgley as assistant coaches.
Murphy has plenty of experience working behind the Rangers bench and with the organization. He served as an assistant coach with the team during the Qualifying Round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Toronto bubble, in which the team was swept in three games by the Carolina Hurricanes. Last year, he replaced Lindy Ruff as a top assistant under previous head coach David Quinn, being called up from his role as associate head coach of the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
He previously was an assistant with the Columbus Blue Jackets — where he worked alongside Gallant from 2002-2007 — Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers.
Murphy’s first full season with the Rangers coaching staff, as he has previously worked with the Rangers coaching staff during his tenure with the organization. Murphy served as an assistant coach with the Blueshirts during the Qualifying Round of the postseason in 2020, and he also assisted the Rangers coaching staff for several games in March of 2021.
Kelly also worked with Gallant as his assistant with the Florida Panthers (2014-2017), Vegas Golden Knights (2017-2020), and with Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Championships, in which they won the gold medal.
Midgley is back behind the bench after spending the 2020-21 season as an amateur scout with the Flyers. He was a coach for nearly a decade in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), including one year as the head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads in 2017-18.
The Rangers also announced that three-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Steve Smith has been named an assistant coach for the team’s AHL affiliate in Hartford.
