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Sullivan Breaks Penguins Record, Gets Game Helmet, ‘That’s Gross!’

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Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan; Video from Pittsburgh Penguins Twitter

It is a Pittsburgh Penguins locker room thing to pass the game helmet. The best player from the last game awards the lid to the next player who had an outstanding game. The Penguins postgame helmet is some sort of Mongolian warrior helmet, and if you ask head coach Mike Sullivan, it has a bit of a stench.

Saturday night, the Penguins beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 at PPG Paints Arena. In the process, Sullivan became the all-time winningest Penguins coach with his 253rd win with the franchise, passing former coach Dan Bylsma.

Sulivan became the Penguins coach in December 2015. After only a few months with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he received a promotion to Penguins head coach to replace Mike Johnston. Sullivan spent seven years as an assistant to John Tortorella with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, and Vancover Canucks.

Sullivan decided he needed to pursue a head coaching position, again. He was the bench boss of his hometown Boston Bruins in 2003-04, and ’05-06 (2004-05 was a lockout year), and took the job as the Penguins AHL coach for the WBS Penguins.

It is Sullivan’s seventh season as the Penguins coach and he boasts two Stanley Cup rings. And now he boasts a game puck, and a sweaty locker room prize.

After the Penguins head coach dished a pair of game pucks, one to Brock McGinn for his first goal as a Penguin, and one to Drew O’Connor for his first NHL goal, a surprise guest appeared.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby emerged after Sullivan handed out his pucks and gave the coach a celebratory game puck, too.

Then, Tristan Jarry, who was awarded the game helmet for the Penguins 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning last Tuesday, called the coach back to the room to present him with the honor.

“This thing’s gross!” Sullivan laughed as he put it on.

Mike Sullivan also joked that he should wear it on the bench–that way he wouldn’t need to get stitches next time a wayward puck comes flying his way. Check the corner of the Penguins video, that seemed to crack up backup goalie Casey DeSmith, too.

Sullivan’s career record with the Penguins is 253-131-44.