Penguins’ Mike Sullivan Excited For Unique Opportunity 4 Nations Offers

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has a unique tie with the Boston Bruins beyond playing one season for the historic franchise and being the bench boss for another two.

His son-in-law Charlie McAvoy was drafted by the Bruins in 2016 and has been manning the blue line in Boston for the past eight seasons. When McAvoy trades in the Spoked-B for Team USA jersey in the upcoming NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, Sullivan will be his coach for the first time in his career.

“I’ve thought about it a little bit, I’m not going to lie,” Sullivan told NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. “It’s an incredible opportunity, I think, for all of us as a family. … The opportunity to coach him in an event like this is a great thrill for me. He’s a great kid, first and foremost. He’s a fierce competitor. I know, at some point in our lives, we’ll look back on it with a whole lot of gratitude to have the opportunity to work together.”

McAvoy met Kiley Sullivan when they were enrolled at Boston University, and the pair married in 2023. However, having a personal relationship with McAvoy won’t prevent the Penguins coach from doing what needs to be done during the tournament.

“Obviously when we get to the tournament, it will be all business,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to go about it the way we always go about our jobs. He’s going to compete on the ice. I’m going to coach the team to the best of my ability.

“But to have the opportunity to coach my son-in-law in an event like this, someday I think we’ll look back on it and smile with just having the opportunity to work together like that.”

Three other Penguins will compete in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Sidney Crosby will wear the “C” for Team Canada and Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell will represent Sweden in the tournament. Rakell was named as a replacement for William Karlsson on Tuesday, with the Vegas Golden Knights forward dealing with a lower-body injury.

The 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off will feature international play between NHL players from the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden. The tournament will consist of seven games played over a nine-day period from Feb. 12 to 20.

Each of the four teams will compete in three games under NHL rules and in a traditional round robin format. A win in regulation will earn the team three points, two points for a win in overtime or the shootout and one point for a loss in overtime or shootout. Teams will not earn a point if they suffer a regulation loss. The two teams with the best record will advance to a one-game final in which the overtime for the final would be full-strength sudden death for 20 minutes.

Here’s the complete schedule for the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off. The times listed are Eastern.

Wednesday, Feb. 12: Canada vs. Sweden, 8 p.m. at Bell Centre on TNT
Thursday, Feb. 13: USA vs. Finland, 8 p.m. at Bell Centre on ESPN
Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland vs. Sweden, 1 p.m. at Bell Centre on ABC
Saturday, Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada, 8 p.m. at Bell Centre on ABC
Monday, Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland, 1 p.m. at TD Garden on TNT
Monday, Feb. 17: Sweden vs. USA, 8 p.m. at TD Garden on TNT
Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship Game, 8 p.m. at TD Garden on ESPN

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