Dubas called Crosby before firing Sullivan
Photo credit: Sports Illustrated
Mike Sullivan, who led the Pittsburgh Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017, is stepping down after a decade as head coach. General manager Kyle Dubas announced the decision Monday morning, nearly two weeks after the Penguins missed the playoffs for a third straight year in the Eastern Conference.
Penguins GM Kyle Dubas called Sidney Crosby before firing Mike Sullivan.
Chris Cerullo from RMNB writes that Sullivan, the longest-serving coach Sidney Crosby has had since joining the Penguins in 2005-06, was let go without Crosby's input in the decision. GM Kyle Dubas said he did inform Crosby shortly before delivering the news to Sullivan.
«I called Sid (Sidney Crosby) yesterday morning before I met with Sully (Mike Sullivan) to give him the heads up. He's been through it before, but in terms of how he feels about it, I had a five-minute conversation with him about the fact that we were going through this to make a change, and we didn't get into the ins and outs of it. I have to do what I think is best for the organization.» -Dubas
Cerullo writes that the Penguins are set to begin their search for a coach this offseason, with the 2025-26 campaign marking the start of Crosby's two-year contract extension signed last September. While Crosby hasn't committed to playing beyond that deal, he's coming off a third consecutive 90-point season, though once again, without a playoff appearance.
"With the sharp downturn in success over the past few years and the core of the team only getting older, Dubas felt like Sullivan was not the right coach to help transition the Penguins into their next era." -Cerullo
Over his ten seasons behind the bench, Sullivan guided the Penguins to a 409-255-89 record in 753 regular-season games, along with a 44-38 playoff mark that included back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017. He was under contract through the 2026-27 season before the team opted for a coaching change.
I'm sure he'll be back behind the bench with a new team much sooner than later.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 29 | 30 ANSWERS Dubas called Crosby before firing Sullivan Will Mike Sullivan have a new coaching job before the start of the next NHL season? | ||
| yes | 26 | 86.7 % |
| no | 4 | 13.3 % |
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