Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source
Super Bowl wasn't super boring to Penguins coach Mike Sullivan | TribLIVE.com
Penguins/NHL

Super Bowl wasn't super boring to Penguins coach Mike Sullivan

Jonathan Bombulie
711169_web1_AP_18336131574994
AP
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, left rear, talks with referee Brian Pochmara (16) with assistant coach Mark Recchi listening during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018.

Complaints were rampant on social media. Television ratings were not good.

The average sports fan was not particularly enamored with the entertainment value of the New England Patriots’ 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is apparently not an average sports fan. He loved every minute of the defensive struggle, and not just because he’s a Boston-area native and Patriots fan.

Sullivan deeply appreciated the game of chess played between the team’s coaching staffs and players.

“I thought it was terrific. I really did,” Sullivan said. “It’s a different challenge. Whenever I watch another sport, I try to draw the correlation to our sport because there’s lessons to be learned. You have to tip your hat to both teams. I thought they showed so much resolve and discipline in not making the big mistake or just taking what your opponent gives you. It’s not unlike winning a hockey game 1-0 or 2-1. I think we can all learn something from that.”

Follow the Pittsburgh Penguins all season long.


Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jonathan at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BombulieTrib.


Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.

Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.

Get Ad-Free >

Categories: Penguins/NHL | Sports
Sports and Partner News