It didn’t take long for the New York Rangers to get their man. News came down Friday morning Mike Sullivan has been hired as the team’s new head coach. General manager Chris Drury announced the hire as Sullivan becomes the franchise’s 38th coach in its history.
The 38th Head Coach in #NYR history.
Welcome (back) to Broadway, Sully! pic.twitter.com/dUhWCBPm4A
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) May 2, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Mike Sullivan Hired as New York Rangers Head Coach
Sullivan recently parted ways with the Pittsburgh Penguins just a few days ago. However, he wasn’t on the unemployment very long as he returns to the Rangers’ organization. The Marshfield, Minn. native was drafted by the Blueshirts 69th overall of the 1987 NHL Draft and was also an assistant coach with the organization from 2009-13.
Sullivan has complied a 479-311-15-112 (W-L-T-OTL) record in 917 games behind the bench. The 57-year-old served as head coach for the Boston Bruins and the Penguins. He also served as acting head coach for the Vancouver Canucks while John Tortorella served a six-game suspension in 2014.
The veteran coach’s best time was with Pittsburgh, where he won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2015-16 and 2016-17. He is also the only American-born head coach in NHL history who has won the Stanley Cup on multiple occasions.
What It Means
However, his time with the Pens came to end after the team missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs three seasons in a row. He’ll be tasked with trying to turn around a club that fell way short of expectations last season.
Former head coach Peter Laviolette was fired after missing the post-season. The Rangers had a load of expectations after making the Eastern Conference Final last year. However, the Blueshirts struggled and missed out on the playoffs.
Drury, who has been pursuing Sullivan for a number of seasons, is hoping the hire gives stability to the position, which has seen its fair share of changes. The Rangers have gone through David Quinn, Gerard Gallant and Laviolette in recent seasons.
Main photo by: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The post New York Rangers Hire Stanley Cup-Winning Coach appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.