The Pittsburgh Penguins and head coach Mike Sullivan officially agreed to mutually part ways, ending his 10-year run as head coach of the organization, a stint that included back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in 2016 and 2017. After the official announcement, Penguins legend Sidney Crosby addressed the move and expressed gratitude for his time playing for Sullivan.
“He did an incredible job over the past 10 years here together with his preparation and commitment to winning,” Sidney Crosby said in an email, in keeping with Chris Johnston and Josh Yohe of The Athletic. “Personally, he pushed me to be higher on a regular basis, and I learned rather a lot from him. We shared some great memories together, and I’m grateful for his time here and all the pieces he did for us.”
Sullivan ends his Penguins tenure with a 409-255 record, a really successful run, and now Kyle Dubas will move in a brand new direction as he tries to re-tool the roster to compete in the longer term. The Penguins dissatisfied and missed the playoffs this season, so it’s a natural time to make a transition at head coach.
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Because the Penguins and Crosby look to rebound with a brand new coach next season, Sullivan needs to be a hot commodity on the coaching market this offseason, if he wants to teach next yr. Two teams that stick out as top contenders are the Latest York Rangers and Boston Bruins. Sullivan coached the Bruins within the 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons before being fired by the organization.
Each the Rangers and Bruins should have the option to compete for Sullivan financially as well. It is going to be interesting to see if he lands with certainly one of the 2 teams. The overall consensus appears to be that while Sullivan’s time in Pittsburgh has run its course, he remains to be a robust coach, as evidenced by his role as the top coach of Team USA within the 4 Nations Face-off.
