Olympic figure skating gold medallist David Pelletier has landed his first role as an assistant coach in the National Hockey League.
The Dallas Stars confirmed Friday that Pelletier will be part of 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.
Pelletier transitioned to hockey coaching after a distinguished figure skating career, highlighted by his pairs gold medal win with partner Jamie Salé at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Their victory at the 2002 Games was initially controversial. After finishing second to the Russian pair, a judging scandal involving a French judge led to Pelletier and Salé being also awarded gold medals, sharing the top spot on the podium with the Russian team.
Throughout their career, Pelletier and Salé also secured a world championship title and three Canadian national titles. In recognition of their achievements, they were co-recipients of the Lou Marsh Trophy (now the Northern Star Award) as Canada`s top athlete in 2001.
Pelletier joins a coaching staff that 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 recently took the helm as the Stars` head coach on July 1, after spending the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers. He replaces Peter DeBoer, who was dismissed following the Stars` second consecutive defeat to the Oilers in the Western Conference Final.
Duncan Priestley