Olympic figure skating champion David Pelletier joins Dallas Stars as assistant coach
DALLAS — Former figure skating star David Pelletier is getting his first shot at being an NHL assistant coach.
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The Dallas Stars announced Friday that Pelletier is joining new head coach Glen Gulutzan's staff.
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The 50-year-old from Sayabec, Que., had been a skating coach with the Edmonton Oilers for the last 11 years.
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Pelletier joined the Oilers after a decorated figure skating career that included a gold medal in pairs with partner Jamie Sale at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
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In what became one of the biggest stories of those Games, Pelletier and Sale finished behind Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. But when a French judge admitted she'd been pressured by her federation to favour the Russians, it ignited a controversy. Pelletier and Sale were later elevated to the top of the podium alongside Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze.
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Pelletier joins Alain Nasreddine (assistant coach), Neil Graham (assistant coach), Jeff Reese (goaltending coach), Patrick Dolan (head video coach) and Chris Demczuk (assistant video coach) on Gulutzan's staff.
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