The Pittsburgh Penguins have one of the best head coaches in the National Hockey League.
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan has been at the helm since taking over halfway through the 2015-16 campaign. It was that same season that he coached the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final win. Sullivan followed up one season later by once again coaching the team back to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Nashville Predators — winning back-to-back championships.
Ahead of the 2024-25 NHL season, NHL.com ranked the best head coaches in the league with their latest “Super 16” list. Sullivan unsurprisingly finished at the top of the list, ranking as the fifth-best in the league.
“Sullivan, No. 5 on my list, is a proven winner and his resume shows it,” NHL.com’s Brian Compton wrote. “His 375 wins with the Penguins are the most by any coach in franchise history and he is tied for fourth in regular-season victories in the NHL since taking over in Pittsburgh on Dec. 12, 2015, when he quickly led the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. He is one of just three United States-born coaches to have 400 NHL wins (Peter Laviolette, John Tortorella). He’ll be representing his country for the fifth time when he coaches at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and then again at the 2026 Olympics. Well-deserved honors, for sure.”
Sullivan and the Penguins will look to return to the playoffs this season after missing them last season. Pittsburgh will kick off its season on Oct. 9 against the New York Rangers.
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