Mike Sullivan's Coaching Career

Mike Sullivan is a professional hockey coach with 23 years of experience in the NHL and AHL.

Mike Sullivan is a professional hockey coach with 23 years of experience in the NHL and AHL. He is currently the head coach for the New York Rangers in May 2025. Sullivan is most recognized for leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups.

Sullivan coached the Boston Bruins from 2002-2005. He then coached the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2007-09, the New York Rangers from 2009-2013 and the Vancouver Canucks from 2013-2014. He was a named development coach for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014, head coach for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in the AHL in 2015 and then the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2016-2025.

Before Coaching

Sullivan was born on Feb 27, 1968 In Marshfield, Massachusetts, and grew up playing hockey. He played for Boston University from 1986-1990. In 1987, Sullivan was selected to play for Team USA in the World Junior Championship.

The same year, Sullivan was selected 69th overall by the New York Rangers in the NHL entry Draft, instead he elected to play all four years at Boston University. He scored 138 points in 141 games, served as a captain for the 1990 Beanpot-winning team and helped them advance to the Frozen Four.

After college, Sullivan began what would become an 11-year career in the NHL, playing for the San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins and Phoenix Coyotes. He also played in the minors. He totaled 54 goals and 82 assists for 136 points.

Boston Bruins Organization/Olympic Games (2002-2006)

After retiring from playing, Sullivan turned to coaching for the Providence Bruins in 2002. During the season, he was called up as assistant coach for the Boston Bruins.

Sullivan was named head coach the following season, which was successful. On this team, Sullivan worked with notable players such as Joe Thornton and Patrice Bergeron.

In the 2005-06 season, Sullivan’s Bruins struggled to compete, leading to his firing due to the onboarding of new general manager Peter Chiarelli. He was replaced by Dave Lewis.

Tampa Bay Lightning (2007-2009)

On May 31, 2007, Sullivan was named assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning under John Tortorella. He worked with players such as Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, however the team had little success.

New York Rangers (2009-2013)

On July 16, 2009, Sullivan was named assistant coach of the New York Rangers again under head coach John Tortorella.

In the 2011-2012 season, The Rangers finished as the Atlantic Division champions and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals, losing in a 4-2 series to the New Jersey Devils.

Some notable players who improved in Sullivan’s stints as assistant coach were Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Mcdonagh, Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan and Rick Nash.

Vancouver Canucks (2013-2014)

On July 3, 2013, Sullivan was named the assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks for the third time under John Tortorella after he was fired by the Rangers.

On May 1, 2014, Tortorella and Sullivan were both released by the Canucks Organization.

Chicago Blackhawks (2014-2015)

In 2014, Sullivan was hired as a development coach for the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago finished with a 48-28-6 record and were crowned as Stanley Cup champions.

Some notable players Sullivan developed in Chicago were Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa.

Pittsburgh Penguins Organization (2015-2025)

Beginning in 2015-16, he coached the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups,

"I told them, 'Look around this room: We've got some great players, and our challenge is to become a great team. That's how you win championships,'" Sullivan explained. "We pushed these guys each and every day to be at their best, and they responded the right way every time.”

His first Stanley Cup as a head coach makes Sullivan the sixth in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup Final after being hired mid-season.

"When he came in, he changed how we play the game. We started playing a fast game, we played on our toes,” said Mario Lemieux, Owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. “He changed the way we approached the game as well. He made all the difference in the world."

After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, Sullivan’s Penguins would consistently make the playoffs until the 2022-2023 season.

After reaching his 251st win as a head coach for the Penguins in 2021, Sullivan became the winningest head coach in Pittsburgh Penguins history.

Shortly after the conclusion of the 2024-2025 season, The Penguins and Mike Sullivan parted ways.

Return to the New York Rangers as a Head Coach (Present)

On May 2, 2025, Sullivan was named head coach of the New York Rangers under GM Chris Drury, who Sullivan previously coached when he was on the Rangers.

Coaching Philosophy

Sullivan’s coaching philosophy focuses on building strong relationships. He is fair, demanding and encourages them not to focus on the past mistakes.

“Sully' is still unbelievable of making sure everybody knows exactly what is expected of you," said NHL analyst Brian Boyle, who played under Sullivan on the Rangers in 2009-2013 and the Penguins in 2021-22. “If your role changes, he's great at communicating that. He's an extremely fair coach, a very respectful coach of the players, but also still very demanding. I think that's what makes a coach successful; understanding your personnel and figuring out a plan for that group to have success is what he does best. All the coaches in the League know the game extremely well, but he knows his players extremely well and puts them in places where they're going to succeed and the team is going to succeed. That's his gift. That's what separates him. That's what has given him success.”

Sullivan also understands the mental part of the game, and works hard to instill confidence in his players.

“When we would go on win streaks or when we were on losing streaks or not playing our best, how he would approach meetings, it was all the same," said Boyle. "This is what our objective is today. This is what we're going to do today. We're not talking about yesterday. We're not talking about tomorrow.”

Sullivan’s philosophy is all about player relationships, maintaining team composure and holding players accountable. Sullivan’s coaching legacy is a result of years of hard work and toil both as a player and as a coach with numerous organizations.

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