Penguins Name Dan Muse As 23rd Head Coach In Franchise History

The Penguins have a new head coach.

Pittsburgh announced Wednesday that it named Dan Muse as its 23rd head coach in franchise history. The announcement was made by general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.

“During this process, we met with many candidates who we felt would have been a fit as the next head coach of the Penguins, but ultimately, Dan Muse stood out as the best choice,” Dubas said in a press release. “What separated Dan was his ability to develop players, win at all levels where he has been a head coach and his consistent success coaching special teams in the NHL. From his success in developing college and junior players, to his impactful work with veteran players during his time in the NHL, Dan has shown a proven ability to connect with players at all stages of their careers and help them to reach their potential.

“Additionally, his leadership of special teams units at the NHL level in both Nashville and New York produced elite results consistently. His overall body of work, attention to detail and vision for our group showed us that he is the best coach to take our team forward. We’re excited to welcome Dan, and his family, to the city of Pittsburgh.”

Muse heads into Pittsburgh with 20 years of coaching experience, including five in the NHL. Muse was an assistant coach with the New York Rangers for the past two seasons and with the Nashville Predators for three seasons. He helped guide his teams to three divisional titles and two Presidents’ Trophies.

As part of his duties, Muse ran New York’s and Nashville’s penalty killing units, and the Canton, Mass, native has won championships at the NCAA, USHL, IIHF U18 and U20 levels in his coaching career.

Muse will fill Mike Sullivan’s shoes and look to guide the Penguins back into the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 season.