Like many people in the world of hockey, Gerard Gallant was shocked to learn he'd been fired as head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights.

"I was quite surprised, actually, when it happened," Gallant said to the Journal Pioneer's Jason Simmonds. "You don't see something coming like that when you have two-and-a-half years in.

"I was disappointed and surprised, but I understand the hockey business and things have to change sometimes."

Gallant was surprisingly relieved of his duties earlier this week, despite Vegas' current hold on a playoff spot.

The first coach in franchise history, Gallant led the Golden Knights on an incredible run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. Vegas made the playoffs for the second time in as many campaigns last year, though the team bowed out in the first round.

"That first year was a magical season. If we could have capped it off winning the Stanley Cup it would have been incredible," Gallant said. "The second year was a really good year, too. We made the playoffs, battled hard.

"Up until I got fired, I had two-and-a-half years of being really happy in Vegas. It's a good organization, a good team, and I was excited."

Gallant was even named to the All-Star Game as head coach of the Pacific Division team, but he has decided to not attend. Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet will replace him.

"I was an All-Star coach a week-and-a-half ago and we were in first place in our division and then things change and we lose four in a row," Gallant said. He continued: "I talked to the NHL about it and they sort of left it up to me, but I didn't really feel comfortable (going). I just said I'd sooner pass."

The 56-year-old isn't going to let the bad news keep him from getting behind a new bench sometime soon.

"I'm far from done," he said. "I enjoy coaching. If an opportunity comes up I will definitely look at it."

Gallant is one of seven NHL coaches to be relieved of his duties this season, so a number of teams - including the Seattle expansion franchise - could be looking for a new bench boss in the near future.

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Sheldon Keefe doesn't like what he's been seeing lately from his Toronto Maple Leafs.

Following the Leafs' 6-2 home loss against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, which came less than a week after an ugly 8-4 defeat versus the Florida Panthers, Keefe called out his team for being "immature."

"I think when you go through these types of things, such as Florida, such as this, it's just a sign of where you are, that you're not where you want to be," Keefe said. "Reality checks come. I thought we were an immature team down in Florida, I thought we were an immature team here today. That's how we're approaching these things. We're not performing, we're not playing with any level of discipline or consistency. That's what happens."

Saturday's loss was Toronto's fifth in its last six outings, and the game was out of reach early. Chicago took the lead 21 seconds into the contest and led 3-0 after the first period.

Making matters worse for the Leafs, the loss, paired with wins from the Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Columbus Blue Jackets, pushed them out of a playoff spot.

Toronto will have a long time to digest its recent performances, as the team's next game doesn't come until Jan. 27, after its bye week and the All-Star weekend.

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Akim Aliu says he believes Bill Peters' derogatory treatment of him played a big role in the defenseman never becoming an established NHLer.

Aliu sat down with Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean in an interview that aired Saturday night. He discussed what's taken place since he publicly accused Peters of racial abuse that occurred during their time together in the AHL in 2010.

"When you look at the stuff that happened with Bill Peters, I truly believe he ruined and deterred my career," said Aliu when asked if there should be a moratorium on misconduct. "But it's a tough question to answer for me because my career has gone out the window and he's been making millions of dollars in the NHL. But yeah, I really do believe that everyone deserves a second chance."

Aliu accused the former Calgary Flames head coach of saying the N-word toward him for his choice of music in the dressing room. Two players on the team corroborated Aliu's story, and in an apology issued as the Flames investigated the matter, Peters admitted to using the offensive language.

The former coach resigned shortly thereafter, and Aliu told MacLean interactions like what he experienced with Peters are holding back the growth of hockey's culture.

"Obviously I'm going to hit some nerves here and touch on subjects that people don't really want to talk about, but I feel like if a colored person or someone of minority does something the same as maybe a caucasian person it's looked at a little bit differently," Aliu said. "What they wear, how they act, what kind of music they listen to, how they speak.

"I felt for a lot of my career, I was walking on eggshells in the room."

The Chicago Blackhawks drafted Aliu in the second round in 2007. He only played seven NHL games - all with the Flames - but also appeared professionally in the AHL, ECHL, and in Europe from 2008 to 2019.

The 30-year-old met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in early December, and he said there's "big change coming" after the league called the discussion "productive and candid."

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Alex Ovechkin passed Mario Lemieux on Saturday to claim sole possession of the 10th spot on the all-time goals list with 691.

Ovechkin entered Saturday's contest against the New York Islanders needing just one goal to tie Lemieux. He scored early in the first period, and in the third, Ovechkin managed to bury his second goal of the game to pass Lemieux.

The 34-year-old has been on a tear. He's coming off a hat trick in his last game and has seven goals in his last three contests, bringing him to 33 on the year.

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