Pittsburgh Penguins sign head coach Mike Sullivan to three-year contract extension
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed head coach Mike Sullivan to a three-year contract extension, the club announced Tuesday afternoon.
Sullivan, 54, has been with the Penguins since 2015. He coached the team to the Stanley Cup in both 2016 and 2017 and surpassed Dan Bylsma last season as the winningest head coach in franchise history.
With his new contract extension, Sullivan is committed to the Penguins through the end of the 2026–27 season.
IN SULLY WE TRUST! 👏
We are proud to announce the three-year contract extension for Coach Sullivan.
The extension will kick in at the conclusion of the 2023.24 campaign, and run through the 2026.27 season. https://t.co/A9EnSXrUj3
Sullivan joined the Penguins organization as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, prior to the 2015–16 season.
He replaced Mike Johnston behind the bench in Pittsburgh that December and spearheaded a massive turnaround, leading the team to a 33–16–5 finish (and the Stanley Cup) after an underwhelming 15–10–3 start.
With Sullivan behind the bench, the Penguins have qualified for the playoffs every year and have posted a 297–156–54 record over seven regular seasons.
During his playing career, Sullivan spent 11 seasons as a checking center with the San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins (who he later coached), and Phoenix Coyotes. He racked up 54 goals and 136 points in 709 career games.
Sullivan is the second-longest-tenured head coach in the NHL, with only Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss Jon Cooper (March 25, 2013) predating him in his current position. Who’s next down the list from Sullivan? Reigning Stanley Cup champion Jared Bednar.
The Penguins have had a busy off-season, with the majority of their work centered around bringing back key figures from their Cup-winning teams. Beyond the Sullivan contract, the Penguins have re-signed Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Bryan Rust to long-term deals while also bringing in Jeff Petry and extending Rickard Rakell.