Gallant is fired as Blue Jackets’ coach

Gerard Gallant was fired as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, less than 24 hours after the team dropped into last place in its division.

No replacement for Gallant was announced. Columbus next plays at home Wednesday night against Nashville.

Gallant, 43, had a record of 56-76-10 in one full season and parts of two others with the Blue Jackets. They fell to 5-9-1 this season after Sunday night’s 1-0 loss at Chicago.

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Patrick Roy, the NHL’s winningest goaltender, and Herb Brooks, coach of the “Miracle on Ice” U.S. team that won gold at the 1980 Olympics, were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Original Six forward Dick Duff and Calgary Flames part-owner Harley Hotchkiss also were inducted.

Brooks, who died in a car accident in 2003, led a team of college players to the greatest upset in hockey history, the victory over the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympic semifinals. The Americans went on to win gold, which they hadn’t done since 1960.

Roy won 551 regular-season games and 151 in the playoffs -- both records. He also won four Stanley Cups. Duff played with Toronto, Montreal, the Kings, Buffalo and the New York Rangers during an 18-year career that ended in 1972.

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Rene Bourque is expected to miss three to six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a deep laceration on his neck.

He was injured Sunday against Columbus when he was cut in the neck by the skate blade of Blue Jackets right wing Nikolai Zherdev.