Mike Sullivan was hired by the New York Rangers because management thought he was the right man to get a consistent and maximum effort out of his players. His track record indicated that he was able to put together a team that could win the big games and stay motivated. The bulk of that record was accomplished with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that he won two Stanley Cups with at the start of his time in Pittsburgh
The Rangers have split their first two games with Sullivan behind the bench. He is taking his new team to Pittsburgh where he is likely to get a warm ovation from fans who respect what he did in his 10 seasons with the Penguins.
Sullivan believes that his purpose is to focus on what he can accomplish with the Rangers and he is not going to let his past association with the Penguins overcome his preparation.
“It’s a lot different, obviously, being on the opposite side,” Sullivan said, per Wes Crosby of NHL.com. “It’s not something that I’ve given a whole lot of thought to, quite honestly. But obviously, I’m so grateful for the opportunity that I had here and to coach the Penguins for the amount of time that I was able to do it. We had a lot of good memories, and I’m grateful for that.”
Sullivan never expected to be fired by the Penguins
Sullivan began his coaching tenure with the Penguins in 2015, and he felt quite secure in his position at the end of the season even though the Penguins were on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff structure.
He told the team's observers that he expected to return to his position for the 2025-26 season, but management clearly had other ideas. The Rangers had seen more than enough from Sullivan when he had coached against the Broadway Blueshirts and they quickly hired him after finishing out of the playoffs themselves.
The Rangers lost the opener to the Penguins at Madison Square Garden before beating the Buffalo Sabres on the road.
