Steel City Shocker: Penguins and Mike Sullivan Agree to Part Ways

I don’t often claim to be prescient or have any sort of ESP. However, back on March 19, I posted a Penguins Update titled “Things I Wonder” where I surmised that the Pens and coach Mike Sullivan might amicably part ways this summer.

Well, it looks like both parties beat me to the punch (summer doesn’t begin till June 20).

In a bit of news that can only be described as shocking, the Pens and their veteran skipper have, indeed, mutually agreed to part ways, just as I sensed might happen. Here’s a link to that article where I lay out my reasoning.

And so ends the decade-long tenure of arguably the most successful coach in franchise history. One that began with a bang (back-to-back Cups) and ended with a whimper (four opening-round exits followed by three non-playoff seasons).

I confess, I’ve had issues with Sullivan over the years, mostly over his perceived reluctance to adjust his system to fit the talent on hand and his aversion (again, perceived) to kids and aggressive players. To say nothing of the unending stream of mistakes (odd-man breaks against, sloppy defensive play) that seemed to go unchecked the past few seasons.

I lobbied hard for the Pens to replace Sully as part of the Ron Hextall/Brian Burke purge at the end of the 2022-23 season. At the time, I thought he’d reached the end of his shelf life here.

However, Sully surprised me. I actually thought he did some of his best coaching the past couple of seasons. In particular, he showed more of a willingness to adjust his system and embrace players he might have shunned earlier in his tenure. I thought he showed real growth as a coach.

Still, I had my doubts about him being the right man for the job going forward. It had nothing to do with his knowledge of the game or intelligence or character and everything to do with his makeup.

In short, Sully’s a competitor who wants to win every game. If that means shortening his bench and/or taking ice time away from kids who might make mistakes, so be it. With the Pens entering more of a developmental phase where youth must be served, I don’t think he was necessarily the best fit.

To his credit and the team’s, I think both sides came to that conclusion, too.

I wish Sully the best. Like him or not, appreciate him or not, he’s a standup guy and a quality human being and coach. One of those rare ones who seems to be able walk the admittedly fine line between being too harsh or too soft. I’m sure he’ll find success elsewhere (here’s looking at you, Bruins and Rangers).

And thank you, Mike, for those two Cups. The team was in disarray when you took over from Mike Johnston all those years ago. You grabbed the reins and set us on a winning course.

Nothing will ever diminish what you achieved.

Here’s the official announcement as reported on the NHL website.

“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,” Penguins general manager 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.”