In a shocking turn of events, the Pittsburgh Penguins have decided to part ways with their Head Coach, Mike Sullivan, firing him from behind their bench.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Head Coach Mike Sullivan have agreed to part ways, which was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.
'On behalf of Fenway Sports Group and the Penguins organization, I would like to thank Mike Sullivan for his unwavering commitment and loyalty to the team and City of Pittsburgh over the past decade,' said Dubas. 'Mike is known for his preparation, focus and fierce competitiveness. I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to his dedication to this franchise for the past two seasons. He will forever be an enormous part of Penguins history, not only for the impressive back-to-back Cups, his impact on the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, but more importantly, for his love and loyalty to the organization. This was not a decision that was taken lightly, but as we continue to navigate the Penguins through this transitional period, we felt it was the best course forward for all involved.'
Sullivan was brought in from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL to be Pittsburgh's head coach back in December of 2015 and went on to lead the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 2016 and 2017.
Sullivan's 409 wins with Pittsburgh make him the Penguins' all-time wins leader and only the 14th coach in the history of the NHL to win 400 games with just one team.
Dubas will immediately start looking for the team's next Head Coach and would like to get it done before the opening of training camp to avoid having to go the intermittent route.
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