Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas announced that the franchise has agreed to part ways with coach Mike Sullivan. Dubas made the announcement on Monday, April 28. Sullivan joined the Penguins in 2015 and led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017.
Kyle Dubas Says Penguins Need To Move Forward Without Mike Sullivan
In an official statement on behalf of Fenway Sports Group and the Penguins organization, Dubas thanked Sullivan for his service over the past decade.
“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,” Dubas’ statement said.
Sullivan holds many records with the Penguins. His record of 409-255-89 with the franchise makes him the all-time wins leader and just the 14th coach in NHL history to win 400 games with one team. The American coach was the second-longest serving coach with a single franchise currently active in the NHL, with only Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper having served longer (13 seasons).
The Penguins also stated that they will begin looking for a replacement immediately.
Pittsburgh went 34-36-12 this season and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third straight year. This is the longest the team has gone without making it to the postseason since they missed four consecutive times from 2002-06.
Pittsburgh bounced back from that drought by reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2008 and winning the trophy in 2009. The organization’s front office hopes that history will repeat itself as it looks to rebuild the roster.
“Obviously, we’re not where we want to be,” Sullivan had said after the Penguins were eliminated from playoff contention on April 6. “We all understand that. We know where we’re at. We know where we’ve got to go, and we’ve got to keep working toward that.”
The Penguins had made the playoffs for 16 straight seasons from 2007-22, the longest streak in NHL history.
Sullivan became the ninth NHL coach to part ways with a club this season.
