Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford relieved the head coach of his club Saturday, hiring Mike Sullivan to replace Mike Johnston.
Rutherford believed the team had underachieved, particularly on offence and on the power play. The Penguins, through 28 games, have a record of 15-10-3 and sit fifth in the Metropolitan Division.
A team that employs Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel has managed just 67 goals so far, good for 27th in the NHL.
Sullivan, who had been coaching the Penguins AHL affiliate this season, has previously served as head coach for the Boston Bruins and as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.
Here’s what else you should know about the veteran coach.
Birthplace: Marshfield, MA
Drafted: 69th overall, 1987 NHL entry draft by the New York Rangers
NHL career: 709 games played for four NHL clubs (San Jose, Calgary, Boston, Phoenix)
Head coaching record: 70-56-15
Record with Penguins’ AHL affiliate: 18-5 (First place in Atlantic Division)
He has a history with John Tortorella
We all remember when Tortorella rushed the Calgary Flames’ locker room between periods and was suspended for 15 days. During that time, Sullivan took over the coaching duties for the Canucks for a six-game period, going 2-4.
Sullivan joined Tortorella in Vancouver after serving as his assistant in New York with the Rangers for four seasons and for one season with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008-09.
He reminds Rutherford of…
Speaking to the media Saturday, Rutherford said this about Sullivan:
“I believe he’s the guy who can come in and really take control and really make some guys more accountable when we’re not performing. He really is a demanding and take-control guy. And in some ways … he reminds me of a coach that I had a lot of success with, Peter Laviolette.
“I wanted somebody new that the players won’t totally know. That he can come in and mould what we’re doing going forward and really take control of the situation of what needs to be dealt with.”
Sullivan is familiar with the Penguins’ hockey operations staff
The new guy has some familiarity with some of the staff in the Penguins organization. As an assistant coach with Team USA at the 2006 Olympics, Sullivan coached Bill Guerin, now the assistant GM in Pittsburgh. When Sullivan was an assistant in Tampa in 2008-09, Pens player development coach Mark Recchi skated for the club.
Coaching style
When Sullivan was hired by the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins, he started training camp with an emphasis on speed and conditioning. The Baby Pens’ leading scorer last season, Conor Sheary, said this in October about Sullivan:
“It’s been good so far. There’s a little more freedom to play offence. (Sullivan) wants us to make plays and get pucks to the net, so it’s good for us.”
Sullivan’s knowledge of the farm club and the system the whole organization would like to play could be an asset.
“They know what’s up in Pittsburgh and where the challenges might be,” Sullivan told the Times Leader in October. “What happens down here matters. Their effort and attitude every day, that stuff matters. The management team in Pittsburgh pays attention to what goes on down here and every one knows it.”
