Mike Sullivan Debuts with the Rangers: Penguins Spoil the Party
In an emotionally charged night at Madison Square Garden, Mike Sullivan, who led the Pittsburgh Penguins for ten seasons and guided them to two Stanley Cup championships, experienced a bittersweet debut as coach of the New York Rangers. Tuesday night’s game saw the Penguins prevail with a score of 3-0, thwarting Sullivan’s start with the Rangers. Sullivan admitted it was a peculiar feeling to face players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, whom he had coached in Pittsburgh. “Obviously, it’s different. I knew it would be like that,” he commented after the Penguins’ victory. “But I’m excited about the group we have here in the Rangers. I’m really looking forward to working with this team.” The Rangers couldn’t score, being outplayed by goalie Arturs Silovs, who made 22 saves. Justin Brazeau of the Penguins scored two goals, sealing the victory for Pittsburgh. The Rangers were outshot 15-5 in the third period, showing offensive difficulties in Sullivan’s debut.Sullivan, who will also coach the United States team at the ice hockey tournament of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, added: “I’m not going to overreact. It’s one game. We have a lot of hockey to play. Is it disappointing? Yes. We’re going to see what we can take from this. We have to move on.” Sullivan’s departure from the Penguins was finalized in April, despite having a contract through the 2026-27 season. Hired in 2015-16, Sullivan is the most successful coach in franchise history with 409 wins, being one of the few coaches in NHL history to surpass 400 wins with the same team. Under his direction, Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017. Shortly after leaving the Penguins, Sullivan was hired by the Rangers to replace Peter Laviolette, signing a five-year contract that made him the highest-paid coach in the NHL. Sullivan, 57, had already been an assistant coach in New York from 2009 to 2013, a time when he coached current Rangers general manager Chris Drury when he was a player. The Penguins captain, Crosby, acknowledged that it was strange to see Sullivan on the Rangers’ bench. “I just go out and compete, but it’s always a little weird at first,” he said. In addition to Sullivan, Crosby also faced former Penguins assistants David Quinn and Ty Hennes, who accompanied Sullivan to New York. While Sullivan suffered defeat against his former team, the new Penguins coach, Dan Muse, secured a victory. Muse was an assistant coach under Laviolette for two seasons in New York and, according to reports, was interviewed for the position before Sullivan was hired. Crosby was happy that Muse got the win. “All teams will tell you, especially at the beginning of the season, that it won’t be perfect. You’re just trying to be on the same page as much as possible. And I feel like it prepared us well to start the year,” Crosby commented. In Pittsburgh’s initial lineup, Crosby, Malkin, and Letang stood out, three players who have been together on the Penguins since 2007. “We had three guys who have been playing together for 20 years, and I thought it was important that they start the game together,” Muse said.I think we have a long way to go to become the team we want to be. There are things we can fix, but we certainly have a lot to do.
Mike Sullivan
