The Pittsburgh Penguins head coach visited the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium and made some friends along the way
Head coach Mike Sullivan has been coaching the Pittsburgh kind of Penguins since 2016. But earlier this week, he found himself hanging around with a different team of penguins.
On Monday, Sullivan paid a visit to the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, where he met a group of the "furry" kind of penguins, including "Sully":
The Penguins have long been involved with their namesake animal counterparts, dating all the way back to the infamous story of their first live mascot, Penguin Pete, in 1968. Pete only made seven appearances that season before tragically dying of pneumonia, presumably due to the mishandling of his nesting temperature.
Their current non-live mascot, Iceburgh, has been an integral part of the team for more than three decades. He was first introduced during the 1992-93 season at the request of Martha Johnson, the wife of late former Penguins head coach "Badger" Bob Johnson.
Iceburgh is perhaps best-known for his appearance in the 1995 film Sudden Death, which has since become one of the most frequently used memes on Penguins X:
In more recent years, the Penguins have partnered with the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, as well as The National Aviary, to promote educational and conservation efforts for penguins around the globe.
In fact, the Penguins host live African penguins - along with aviary experts from The National Aviary - at PPG Paints Arena for select home games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have not yet released a schedule detailing when you can see the African penguins at the arena during the upcoming season. But fans are sure to once again jump at the chance to see two different groups of Penguins in the same place on the same day, and it continues the organization's longstanding tradition of making the most out of their namesake.