Ex-Penguins coach Mike Sullivan hired by Rangers

Former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has been hired by the New York Rangers in the same capacity.

The Rangers announced Sullivan’s appointment Friday. He becomes the 38th coach in that franchise’s history.

Terms of his contract were not announced, but it is believed to be one of the most lucrative in the history of the NHL for a coach.

“Mike Sullivan has established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the NHL,” general manager Chris Drury said. “Mike brings a championship-level presence behind the bench. … As we began this process and Mike became an available option for us to speak with, it was immediately clear that he was the best coach to lead our team.”

Sullivan previously served as an assistant coach with the Rangers over four seasons between 2009 and 2013. As a player, Sullivan was selected by the Rangers in the fourth round (No. 69) of the 1987 NHL Draft but never suited up for that team.

On Monday, the Penguins announced they had parted ways with the 57-year-old Sullivan in a decision that appeared to be initiated by president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas. Sullivan had two years remaining on his contract with the Penguins.

The most successful coach in Penguins history by seemingly any measure, Sullivan directed the franchise to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017. Additionally, he is the Penguins’ winningest coach with a record of 409-255-89 over parts of 10 seasons.

Sullivan’s departure from the Penguins came on the heels of the team missing the postseason for the third consecutive year.

Sullivan replaces Peter Laviolette, who was fired after the Rangers missed the playoffs following a trip to the Eastern Conference final last year.

Drury made the move to get Sullivan not long after receiving a multiyear contract extension of his own.

“Mike’s track record and success in the NHL and internationally speaks for itself, and I look forward to seeing him behind the Rangers bench,” Rangers owner James Dolan said. “I would like to welcome Mike back to the Rangers organization.”

Sullivan coached Drury during his time with the Rangers, and the two have worked together professionally through USA Hockey — most recently at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February — and are part of the U.S. contingent for the 2026 Milan Olympics.

John Tortorella, who was fired as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in late March, could be a candidate to join Sullivan on his staff, as he did at the 4 Nations, but no assistant hires were confirmed Friday and the organization is expected to discuss those openings in the coming days.

Sullivan had been with the Penguins since getting hired midseason in December 2015 when Mike Johnston was fired months into his lackluster tenure. This is his third head-coaching job in the NHL after a short stint with the Boston Bruins in 2003-04 and ‘05-06 sandwiched around the lockout that wiped out an entire season.

New York getting Sullivan leaves seven teams around the league with vacancies: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Anaheim, Seattle and Vancouver. Multiple teams that initially reached out to Sullivan now will have to pivot to other experienced options, including Rick Tocchet, Joel Quenneville and Laviolette, as well as a couple of college coaches with recent national championships: Denver’s David Carle and Western Michigan’s Pat Ferschweiler.

The Associated Pres contributed to this report.