(No longer) Seen in 702: Where have you gone, Coach DiMaggio?
After seeing the strong, immediate public outcry over the Golden Knights’ dismissal of head coach Gerard Gallant, one might have thought another Las Vegas Strip property decided to charge locals for parking again.
Overwhelmingly, Knights Nation was aghast over the firing of the team’s first and only head coach, who guided the rookie franchise to a 2018 Stanley Cup Final berth. And then their aghastness was raised exponentially when it was also announced that Hannibal Lecter — er, wait, check that — former San Jose Sharks coach Peter DeBoer would take over.
Side note: Congratulations to Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon on winning this year’s Lewis Black Lookalike Contest.
So I rambled over to T-Mobile Arena on Thursday morning, expecting to check out a very public protest over Gallant’s dismissal. Or, at the very least, a funeral pyre consisting of broken hockey sticks to memorialize Gallant’s tenure.
Apparently, I underestimated the thousands I expected to assemble for the protest.
On a happier note, George Strait is coming to T-Mobile.
Undeterred, I walked over to Beerhaus, the food-and-beverage favorite for many Knights fans. Its marquees are renowned for supporting the Knights and dismissing whatever foe dares to take the ice against the beloved.
I wanted to see some sort of “Thanks Coach Gallant” message. Alas, it was not to be.
On a not-as-nearly-happy-as-a-George-Strait-concert-but-pleasing-nonetheless note, the Jenga tables are set.
Hoping for one last chance at a Gallant support, I went to see whether Lady Liberty in front of New York-New York was adorned with a funeral veil.
Nope.
I’m not going into the deep questions of why the decision was made. Ed Graney and Co. are more than capable of doing that. The shock when I first heard Mr. Graney announce it on “The Press Box” (Unpaid promotional announcement: The show can be heard from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM), waned.
It’s the NHL. This happens. It will happen again.
Las Vegas also has gone through several firings, with the UNLV football and men’s basketball programs making changes in the past nine months.
But the Gallant firing is the first one Las Vegas has cared about since Jerry Tarkanian’s exit in 1992, so perhaps it’s just been a while since local fans have gone through the five stages.
So take heart. The Knights might make more coaching changes during the remaining eight years and $80 million left on Jon Gruden’s deal.
Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on Twitter.
