Penguins are no strangers to midseason coaching changes

On Wednesday, the Vegas Golden Knights did something they had never done before.

They fired their coach.

Granted, Gerard Gallant was the first coach in that franchise’s history, but it was a milestone of sorts for the franchise.

It also kept them en vogue with much of the league this season.

Gallant, who performed well enough to be selected as the coach for the Pacific Division in this month’s All-Star Game, was the seventh coach fired in 2019-20.

In most cases, a lack of success — or in Gallant’s case, enough success — led to a change. And for a few teams, such as the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars, a coach’s personal behavior was the cause for dismissal.

Two coaches were fired and hired by another team in a matter of weeks.

John Hynes was fired by the Devils on Dec. 3, then hired by the Nashville Predators on Jan. 7. Gallant’s successor, Peter DeBoer, was dismissed by the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 11.

“It’s a reality of how competitive the business is,” said Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, the NHL’s fifth-most tenured coach who was promoted from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in December 2015 to replace Mike Johnston. “There’s pressure to win in every city. So it just seems in today’s game, there’s an elevated form of pressure on everybody that’s involved in the business, whether it be managers, scouts, coaches, players. That’s the nature of the business and how it’s evolved.

“These guys are all real good coaches. They’re well prepared. I know how invested they are in trying to help their teams win. I know some of them personally. I don’t know others as much. But I know from coaching against these guys they’re all good coaches. It’s an indication of how high the stakes are and the pressure that’s involved with winning with every respective city in the league.”

A handful of recent Stanley Cup champions such as the 2016 Penguins and the ’19 St. Louis Blues have claimed the championship after a midseason change with their coach.

Obviously, that change is profound to the coaches involved. But what it is like for players getting a new coach in the middle of the season?

Members of the Penguins who have been on teams where an in-season change was made recently were asked that question.

Sidney Crosby: “As a player, you don’t feel good about it. Then you have to turn the page and focus on what it is the new coach wants to focus on. Everyone’s got to kind of prove themselves all over again. There’s kind of a feeling-out process there. You see St. Louis that did it last year, and they ended up winning. They were able to do that pretty quickly. It’s never an easy thing to go through, though.”

Alex Galchenyuk: “It was actually weird because it was the bye week, and it was the first time I think (the NHL had) a bye week. You have a lot of time off, then something huge like that happens. It was new for me. It was the first time in my career that it happened. You come in, you want to see what the new coach is like. A new voice, new systems and all of that.”

Jack Johnson: “Changes are made, and you’ve got to adapt to the changes and get in sync as a team. … We all understand it’s pro sports. It’s usually because the team is not performing, and you feel responsible, you feel guilty. And you feel for the coach. He’s got a family, too, and everything. In most cases, it’s because the team is not performing. In that way, you feel responsible.”

Dominik Kahun: “Lots of times, you get new energy, maybe new tactics. But last year in Chicago, we didn’t change much. Because (Blackhawks coach Jeremy) Collition was (with the Blackhawks AHL affiliate previously), they did the same stuff as (the NHL team). … For me, it wasn’t that strange because I just had (former coach Joel) Quenneville for 13 games or how long it took. For the rest of the team, they had him for 10 years.”

Kris Letang: “It’s another kind of wake-up call for the guys. Something is not clear, and obviously it’s easier to change one coach than (23 players). Usually it’s a shock, but, at the same time, it kind of creates a new challenge for everybody in the room and a chance to prove what you can do for a new coach. Maybe he sees differently than the old coach. It’s always a shock, but it’s always a new start, also. It’s usually exciting for the guys.”

Chad Ruhwedel: “It can be tough. Some guys prefer certain coaches. But usually a coaching change is for the best, and the team rallies around. … It’s typically a feeling-out process. But from the few times I’ve experienced it, they hire from within so you’re already familiar with the guy.”

Justin Schultz: “It’s shocking. It’s really weird. Most situations, it has something to do with the players, so you feel responsible. It brings an energy boost to the team sometimes. Sometimes, it’s good to get a new face back there, but it’s definitely tough. … Just a new guy in there, it’s weird and different. They usually have different strategies and different ways to go about their business. It definitely takes some time to get used to.”

And what is that change like for the coach himself?

Sullivan: “It’s a challenge. It’s not like you can come right in and change everything. My experience was I tried to prioritize how I could effect some change and where I could effect some change. Then slowly implement the strategies that I felt were best suited for the group of personnel that you have. I guess all coaches are different. You probably get different answers if you ask coaches around the league that question, but that’s just my experience.”

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