Mike Sullivan has shot to bring long-awaited stability to Rangers

As the Rangers cleaned out their lockers on April 21 after a taxing 2024-25 season resulted in an early summer and the dismissal of another head coach, defenseman Adam Fox talked about ideally wanting a head coach who could be in New York for a long time and even outlast them as players. 

The concept of a long-term coach has almost become a novelty in the National Hockey League, with the Blueshirts knowing that better than most, as they introduced their fourth bench boss since 2021 on Thursday morning at MSG Training Center in Tarrytown. 

The man of the hour, Mike Sullivan, has proven to be that rare coach who can ingrain and endear himself to an organization. 

The 57-year-old relinquished his status as one of just two active coaches — the other being the Lightning’s Jon Cooper (2013-present) — who have been with the same club for a decade or more after he and the Penguins “parted ways” on April 28. 

Ten years, two Stanley Cups and 835 total games later, Sullivan arrives in New York looking to start a new legacy. 

“Having the ability to spend a decade with some of the people that I was able to work with there, some of the players I was able to coach there, I just think you take so much from those types of experiences,” Sullivan said, with the cobalt blue backdrop behind him and the Rangers crest pinned to his pressed lapel. “And I hope to bring those experiences here to New York that can help me be a better coach for this group of players, that can help us be as competitive as we can. 

“We’re going to try to push these guys every day to maximize the potential that exists here, and we’ll see where that takes us. That’s what I hope to bring. That, I think, is the takeaway from the 10 years that I spent in Pittsburgh.” 

Considering the fact that the past two Rangers coaches with two-year tenures, Gerard Gallant and Peter Laviolette, fell into the “retread” category, Sullivan’s 10-year run in the Steel City is what differentiates him from that pack. 

Pittsburgh might have never come close to the Stanley Cup Final after his first two seasons at the helm, or won a playoff series since 2018, but the Massachusetts native became a fixture behind the Penguins bench partly from building strong personal relationships with his players. 

Out go Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang; in come Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. 

“My familiarity with the roster and the core group of players that have played here over the last number of years,” Sullivan said of his initial thoughts when the Rangers’ opportunity presented itself. “Having been on an opposing team’s bench and playing against the Rangers inside the division for all these years, I’ve grown a ton of respect for the players that are in that room and the talent that they have. The opportunity to work with a group like that certainly excites me.” 

Sullivan worked closely with four Rangers — Kreider, Adam Fox, Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller — as recently as February when he served as head coach of Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off. 

He described the aforementioned players as “fierce competitors,” saying they “have an insatiable appetite to win.” They are the types of guys, he said, that he gets excited about. 

Sullivan, who noted he’s spoken with virtually the entire roster already, is said to have a talent for managing big personalities and egos.

That was surely a part of the job in Pittsburgh, and it certainly will be necessary in New York given the way the past six months unfolded. 

“It’s hard for me to comment on what’s evolved here in the past,” he said. “It would probably be irresponsible for me because I wasn’t here. … All I can speak to is that we can build here moving forward. My intention is to bring the experiences that I’ve learned through my time coaching in the NHL, some of the insight I’ve gained over the years, to this experience.”