It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.
On Apr. 28, Sullivan and the Penguins agreed to mutually part ways, and just a few days later on May 2, the New York Rangers named him the 38th head coach in franchise history.
On Thursday, Sullivan spoke to the New York media for the first time since his hiring, and although he declined to comment on the reasons he and the Penguins parted ways, he reflected on his 10 years in Pittsburgh.
"I'm so appreciative for the opportunity that I was given in Pittsburgh," Sullivan said. "It was a real privilege to work with that group of players there and in that organization. We were able to accomplish a lot when we were there, and I'm so grateful for that opportunity that I was given there."
Sullivan also acknowledged that - while he led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017 - the Penguins fell short on expectations as well.
"We also had our fair share of disappointments over the years," Sullivan said. "It's hard to win in this league, so I just think that's part of it. Having the ability to spend a decade with some of the people that I was able to work with there, some of the players that I was able to coach there, I just think you take so much from those types of experiences.
"And I hope to bring those experiences here to New York that can help me be a better coach for this group of players, that can help us be as competititve as we can. We're going to try to push these guys every day to maximize the potential that exists here, and we'll see where that takes us. But that's what I hope to bring. That, I think, is the takeaway from the 10 years that I spent in Pittsburgh."
And those 10 years brought some of the greatest moments in Penguins' history with Sullivan at the helm. In addition to the back-to-back championships, Sullivan also earned his way to becoming the winningest coach in franchise history. In 835 games with Pittsburgh between the regular season and the playoffs, Sullivan was 453-293-89 (.543 win percentage), which is good for 15th all-time for wins with a single franchise.
Top 10 Winningest Head Coaches In Penguins History Ft. Mike Sullivan
There have been only <a href="https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/PIT/coaches.html">22 head coaches</a> in the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins, with Mike Sullivan serving as the most recent and longest-tenured coach from 2015 to 2025. As expected, Sullivan has coached the most games, winning the most and losing the most.
The decision for the team to mutually part ways was not an easy one for Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas, who said that there were times throughout the 2024-25 season that he felt a change might be in order.
After his end-of-season meeting with Sullivan, that's when the decision to mutually part ways was finalized, as Dubas recognized that - given where the organization is at in terms of a competitive window - coaches don't often come out the other side of organizational rebuilds.
"Sometimes you just leave conversations with people, and especially with that, when it's a relationship between the general manager and the coach... for me, part of the reaffirmation of where we're at is, 'Is he still up for this? Does he want to go through this? Where does he sense it's at, and what's his energy and passion for it?'" Dubas said to the media following the decision.
"In a perfect world, you would love to grind and see it all the way through with the Penguins. But - I think, in my mind - after my conversation with him last week and more contemplation during the week, there's not any one thing that I would look at and say that, 'we had mass disagreement on these two areas'... it was just, in general, the feeling that the demands of this and what we're asking, it was, to me, time for him to apply elsewhere and for us to move on as well."
'I Started To Think That It May Just Be Time': Takeaways From Kyle Dubas's Press Conference Regarding Departure Of Mike Sullivan
On Monday, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>’ president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas shook the hockey world when he announced that <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/breaking-penguins-and-head-coach-mike-sullivan-mutually-parting-ways">head coach Mike Sullivan would not be returning to coach the Penguins in 2025-26</a>.
Despite the decision to part ways, there is a common belief that Sullivan and Dubas had a good working relationship in Pittsburgh. Sullivan spoke on the importance of the relationship between a head coach and a general manager based on his experience and what he expects that to look like with Rangers' GM Chris Drury.
"One of the things [Drury and I] talked about was the importance of the relationship between he and I," Sullivan said. "I can just go back to the experiences I've had over the years, and my experience has told me that the relationship between the head coach and the general manager is really important. I think it's important that we work together on that relationship so that we can share the same vision and work towards the same goals."
Sullivan is excited about his new opportuity with the Rangers, and he wants to bring some of the experiences from his 10 years in Pittsburgh to New York to help the team accomplish those goals. After winning the President's Trophy for the 2023-24 season, the Rangers missed the postseason this year, falling far short of organizational expectations.
There is a challenge for the team ahead, and Sullivan is eager to bring the room together.
"It's hard to win in this league, and it takes more than talent," Sullivan said. "And you guys know that the group we had in Pittsburgh had a whole lot of talent. We experienced both sides, and I think that's what makes our game so great is there's more parity in this league than there's ever been.
"And the Stanley Cup, for all intents and purposes, is anybody's trophy. You've got to go out and earn it."
Mike Sullivan Sends Hidden Message In Introductory Press Conference With Rangers
Mike Sullivan’s introductory press conference on Thursday was filled with the usual cliches, but had a few strong hidden messages conveyed by the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers" target="_blank">Rangers</a>’ newest coach.
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