Olympic figure skating gold medalist David Pelletier is set to begin his first role as an assistant coach in the NHL.
The Dallas Stars officially announced on Friday that Pelletier has been added to the coaching staff under newly appointed head coach Glen Gulutzan.
The 50-year-old native of Sayabec, Quebec, previously served as a skating coach for the Edmonton Oilers for the past 11 seasons.
Prior to his time with the Oilers, Pelletier enjoyed a distinguished career in figure skating, highlighted by winning a gold medal in pairs alongside partner Jamie Salé at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Their victory at those Games was marked by significant controversy. Originally finishing second to the Russian pair Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, a scandal erupted when a French judge admitted she had been improperly influenced by her federation to favor the Russians. Following an investigation, Pelletier and Salé were also awarded gold medals and stood atop the podium with the Russian team.
Throughout their successful career, Pelletier and Salé also claimed a World Championship title, three Canadian championships, and were co-recipients of the Lou Marsh Trophy (now known as the Northern Star Award) as Canada`s top athlete in 2001.
Pelletier joins the existing coaching staff under Gulutzan, which includes assistant coaches Alain Nasreddine and Neil Graham, goaltending coach Jeff Reese, head video coach Patrick Dolan, and assistant video coach Chris Demczuk.
Gulutzan himself was appointed head coach on July 1, having previously spent seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers. He takes over from Peter DeBoer, who was dismissed after the Stars were eliminated by Edmonton in the Western Conference final for the second consecutive year.
