Pittsburgh Penguins fire two-time Stanley Cup coach Mike Sullivan
- The Pittsburgh Penguins announced the departure of coach Mike Sullivan after missing playoffs for the third consecutive season.
- Sullivan, who has the franchise record for wins and led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, was noted for his strong bond with key players like Sidney Crosby.
- General manager Kyle Dubas stated that the decision was necessary for the team's transitional period.
In the United States, Mike Sullivan's tenure as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins came to an end after the team announced his departure on April 28, 2025. Sullivan, who was appointed head coach in December 2015, led the Penguins to two Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. However, the team struggled in recent seasons, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year. General manager Kyle Dubas emphasized that the decision to part ways was not taken lightly. Sullivan had 409 wins, the most in franchise history, and had expressed a desire to remain with the club as it tried to retool its roster around star player Sidney Crosby. Despite both his impressive record and his bond with star players like Crosby, the current state of the team and management changes influenced the decision to make a coaching change. This move has sparked significant discussion in the hockey community about Sullivan's future, especially considering the open coaching positions elsewhere, including with teams like the New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks. As a highly regarded and experienced coach, Sullivan is likely to attract interest from other teams, which makes his departure from Pittsburgh particularly notable. The Penguins will now enter a transitional phase and seek a new head coach who can reinvigorate the franchise and lead them back to playoff contention, beginning a fresh chapter in the team's storied history.