A native of Brockton, Mass., Gordon has long had ties with USA Hockey. During his playing days, he was a goaltender for Team USA at the 1992 Olympics. As a coach, he was the head coach of the U.S. men's national team for two years (2010 and 2011) and also served as an assistant coach for the silver-medal winning Olympic team in 2010.
Gordon worked his way up through the minor leagues as both a player and coach. He holds the distinction of being the first former ECHL player to reach the NHL, and played in 23 games as a goalie for the Quebec Nordiques.
During his coaching tenure with the Islanders, Gordon's team compiled a record of 64-94-23; the worst points percentage in the NHL. However, this was much more a reflection of having a paper-thin roster than any lack of coaching ability on Gordon's part.
As a coach, Gordon (like so many coaches nowadays) is a big believer in implementing a highly structured system. He is considered a good communicator and a straight shooter who puts strong focus on accountability.
When Gordon was let go by the Islanders after a 10-game losing streak, both the Isles' players and management said they felt "Gordo" was a good coach but that he had tried just about everything he could to turn around the team and nothing worked. Gordon, who replaced Ted Nolan, was himself replaced by Jack Capuano.
Islanders general manager Garth Snow, who like Gordon is a Massachusetts native and has been friends with him since the two were in Nordiques training camp in 1987, made Gordon his choice to coach New York based on Gordon's track record of AHL success. At the time, Snow praised Gordon's teaching ability and reputation for developing players.