Mike Sullivan, the longest tenured head coach in Pittsburgh Penguins history, has been relieved of his duties on Monday the club announced. Sullivan helped guide the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
“On behalf of Fenway Sports Group and the Penguins organization, I would like to thank Mike Sullivan for his unwavering commitment and loyalty to the team and City of Pittsburgh over the past decade,” GM Kyle Dubas said. “Mike is known for his preparation, focus and fierce competitiveness. I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to his dedication to this franchise for the past two seasons. He will forever be an enormous part of Penguins history, not only for the impressive back-to-back Cups, his impact on the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, but more importantly, for his love and loyalty to the organization. This was not a decision that was taken lightly, but as we continue to navigate the Penguins through this transitional period, we felt it was the best course forward for all involved.”
The former Wilkes-Barre head coach leaves with 409 career wins behind the bench, making him the winningest coach in franchise history. However, with Pittsburgh having missed the playoffs for the third year in a row, ownership clearly felt that it was time to move in another direction to maximize their aging core’s ever shrinking window to compete.
The team posted a 34-36-12 record, finishing under .500 for the first time since going 22-46-14 in Crosby’s rookie season in 2005-06.
Pittsburgh becomes the 7th NHL franchise to part ways with their head coach since the season ended with Boston, Chicago, Anaheim, Seattle, Philadelphia and the New York Rangers also in the market for a new coach. The 57 year old previously worked as an assistant coach with both Boston and the Rangers, and is reportedly high on New York’s list of potential replacements.
Pittsburgh has announced that they will begin a “thorough search” for their next head coach immediately.
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