Mike Sullivan Celebrates His First Victory with the Rangers
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Mike Sullivan adds a new memory to his extensive personal hockey collection, after receiving the game puck following his first win as coach of the New York Rangers. Although it doesn’t equal the two Stanley Cup titles he won during his ten years as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the importance of the 4-0 victory over Buffalo on Thursday night was evident to Sullivan.This victory represents the number 480 in Sullivan’s career. It came two days after the Rangers suffered a 3-0 home defeat against the Penguins. Sullivan was fired by Pittsburgh after failing to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season and quickly found a new home in New York after the Rangers fired Peter Laviolette. For Sullivan, this is a fresh start in a familiar place, after spending four seasons as an assistant with the Rangers under John Tortorella. Now, he is tasked with 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 humorously shared how the newly appointed captain J.T. Miller handed him the puck.It’s an honor. 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.
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. Adding to the performance of Igor Shesterkin, who made 37 saves, the Rangers closed strong with three goals in the last five minutes. Sullivan expressed his enthusiasm for the group of players he has and highlighted the palpable energy in the team since the first day of training camp. In addition, he noted that they are building a significant relationship with the players, which will be crucial for the future.Miller joked about the length of our video meetings. But they will remain long until we are all on the same page.
Mike Sullivan
