Rangers hire Mike Sullivan as coach days after he parted ways with Penguins

The Associated Press

· Posted: May 02, 2025 11:21 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

The New York Rangers person hired Mike Sullivan arsenic coach, days aft helium and the Pittsburgh Penguins agreed to portion ways.

General manager Chris Drury announced the determination Friday, bringing successful the organization's apical campaigner who was retired of enactment for little than a afloat concern week.

"Mike Sullivan has established himself arsenic 1 of the premier caput coaches successful the NHL," Drury said. "Mike brings a championship-level beingness down the bench. ... As we began this process and Mike became an disposable enactment for america to talk with, it was instantly wide that helium was the champion manager to pb our team."

Sullivan replaces Peter Laviolette, who was fired aft the Rangers missed the playoffs pursuing a travel to the Eastern Conference last past year. Sullivan, who coached Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup backmost to backmost successful 2016 and '17, is tasked with trying to crook the Rangers backmost into an contiguous contender.

Drury made the determination to get Sullivan not agelong aft receiving a multiyear declaration hold of his own.

"Mike's way grounds and occurrence successful the NHL and internationally speaks for itself, and I look guardant to seeing him down the Rangers bench," proprietor James Dolan said. "I would similar to invited Mike backmost to the Rangers organization."

Sullivan, 57, spent 4 seasons arsenic a Rangers adjunct nether then-coach and inactive adjacent person and confidant John Tortorella from 2009-13. He coached Drury during that time, and the 2 person worked unneurotic professionally done USA Hockey, astir precocious astatine the 4 Nations Face-Off successful February, and are portion of the U.S. contingent for the 2026 Milan Olympics.

Tortorella — who was fired arsenic manager of the Philadelphia Flyers successful precocious March — could beryllium a campaigner to articulation Sullivan connected his staff, arsenic helium did astatine the 4 Nations, but nary adjunct hires were confirmed Friday and the enactment is expected to sermon those openings successful the coming days.

Sullivan had been with the Penguins since getting hired midseason successful December 2015 erstwhile Mike Johnston was fired months into his lackluster tenure. This is his 3rd head-coaching occupation successful the NHL aft a abbreviated stint with the Boston Bruins successful 2003-04 and '05-06 sandwiched astir the lockout that wiped retired an full season.

New York getting Sullivan leaves 7 teams astir the league with vacancies: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Anaheim, Seattle and Vancouver. Multiple teams that initially reached retired to Sullivan volition present person to pivot to different experienced options, including Rick Tocchet, Joel Quenneville and Laviolette, arsenic good arsenic a mates of assemblage coaches with caller nationalist championships: Denver's David Carle and Western Michigan's Pat Ferschweiler.