Sullivan Celebrates First Rangers Win: Analysis and Reactions

Mike Sullivan Celebrates His First Victory with the Rangers

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Mike Sullivan added a new memento to his extensive personal hockey collection after being gifted the game puck, following his first win as coach of the New York Rangers. Although it doesn’t compare to the two Stanley Cup titles he won during his decade as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the importance of the 4-0 victory over Buffalo did not go unnoticed by Sullivan on Thursday night.

“It’s an honor,” commented Sullivan, originally from Massachusetts and the only U.S.-born coach to win at least two Cups.

Mike Sullivan

“I’ve said this on several occasions since getting the job: it’s an incredible honor to be the head coach of the New York Rangers, a franchise with so much history,” Sullivan added. “It’s a privilege that I don’t take for granted.” This victory was Sullivan’s 480th career win and came two days after the Rangers suffered a 3-0 home loss to the Penguins. Sullivan was fired by Pittsburgh after failing to make the playoffs for a third consecutive season, before being hired almost immediately by 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 the direction of John Tortorella. Now, he has the task of providing structure and discipline to a team that crumbled on and off the ice, missing the playoffs last year. The victory over Buffalo was just the beginning for Sullivan, who humorously recounted how the newly appointed captain, J.T. Miller, handed him the puck.

“Miller joked about the length of our video meetings,” Sullivan said. “But they will remain long until we are on the same page.”

Mike Sullivan

Although there is still much work to be done, Sullivan was impressed by his team’s response after a lackluster performance against Pittsburgh, which was sealed with 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. Along with Igor Shesterkin’s 37 saves, the Rangers closed strong with three goals in the final five minutes. “I’m excited about the group of players we have here. I think there’s some excitement in the team right now from the first day of training camp,” Sullivan said. “It’s tangible, we can feel it. And I think we’re building a relationship with the players that will be significant in the future.”