BUFFALO, N.Y. – Mike Sullivan added a new memory to his extensive personal hockey collection after earning his first win as coach of the New York Rangers. Although it doesn’t equal the two Stanley Cups he won during his 10 years as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the importance of the 4-0 victory over Buffalo didn’t go unnoticed by Sullivan on Thursday night.
The coach, originally from Massachusetts and the only U.S.-born coach to win at least two Cups, added: “I’ve said this on several occasions since I got the job, it’s an incredible honor to be the head coach of the New York Rangers, a franchise with so much history. It’s a privilege that I don’t take for granted.” This victory was Sullivan’s 480th in his career and came two days after the Rangers opened the season with a 3-0 home loss to the Penguins. Sullivan was fired by Pittsburgh after missing the playoffs for a third straight season, before being hired almost immediately in New York after the Rangers fired Peter Laviolette. For Sullivan, this represents a fresh start in a familiar place, after spending four seasons as an assistant with the Rangers under John Tortorella. Now, he has the responsibility of providing structure and discipline to a team that crumbled both on and off the court, missing the playoffs last year. The victory over Buffalo was just the beginning for Sullivan, who recalled with a smile how the newly appointed captain J.T. Miller handed him the puck.It’s an honor.
Sullivan
Sullivan continued: “But they will remain long until we are on the same page.” Although there is still much work to be done, Sullivan was impressed by his team’s response after a lackluster performance against Pittsburgh, sealed by two empty-net goals. On Thursday, the Rangers outplayed the Sabres for much of the first period, building a 1-0 lead thanks to Alex Lafreniere’s goal at 11:43. Added to the performance of Igor Shersterkin, who made 37 saves, the Rangers closed strongly with three goals in the last five minutes.Miller joked about the length of our video meetings.
Sullivan
I’m excited about the group of players we have here. I think there’s some excitement on the team right now from the first day of training camp. It’s tangible, we can feel it. And I think we’re building a relationship with the players right now that will be significant in the future.
Sullivan
