The New York Rangers wasted little time in securing the services of former Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan once he became available this offseason. The club announced that they had come to terms on a multi-year contract with Sullivan on Friday.
“Mike Sullivan has established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the NHL,” Drury said. “Mike brings a championship-level presence behind the bench. … As we began this process and Mike became an available option for us to speak with, it was immediately clear that he was the best coach to lead our team.”
The 57 year old takes over for Peter Laviolette who New York parted ways with after posting a 39-36-7 record, and missing out on the postseason. He previously spent time as an assistant coach with the franchise between 2009-2013 when John Tortorella was behind the bench.
“Mike’s track record and success in the NHL and internationally speaks for itself, and I look forward to seeing him behind the Rangers bench,” owner James Dolan said. “I would like to welcome Mike back to the Rangers organization.”
The hiring reunites Drury and Sullivan who have worked together in the past with USA Hockey, most recently at the 4 Nations Face-Off this past February. Ironically, Tortorella, who was relieved of his duties with Philadelphia a few weeks ago, is now a candidate to join Sullivan’s staff in New York in a reversal of their previous roles with the team.
It didn’t take long for the rumours of Sullivan’s imminent hiring in New York to begin to circulate following his dismissal in Pittsburgh. And when all was said and done, the 2x Stanley Cup winning coach was out of work for less than a week.
With Sullivan off the market, that now leaves 7 teams still without coaches heading into the 2025-26 NHL campaign. Pittsburgh, Boston, Philadelphia, Anaheim, Chicago, Seattle and Vancouver will continue their searches for new coaching staffs this spring.
Photo: Rich Mitchell. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.