Who is New Penguins Coach Dan Muse? What Colleagues Say About Style & the Man

From the Milton Academy to the New York Rangers assistant coach position under Peter Laviolette with numerous stops in between, Dan Muse has paid his dues in the coaching profession by the ripe old age of 42.

Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins and general manager Kyle Dubas surprised nearly everyone, including friends of Muse, when they tabbed the Rangers’ assistant as the 23rd head coach in the team’s history.

Read More: BREAKING: Penguins Hire Rangers Assistant Dan Muse as Coach

And the question on everyone’s lips, “Who is Dan Muse?”

Fortunately, in Muse’s travels from the Milton Academy through Yale to the USHL and the Rangers, he’s made plenty of friends along the way, and PHN was privileged to speak with some shortly after the hiring.

First, Muse is a detailed and prepared coach. One friend wrote via text, “Wicked intelligent and articulate. Intense in his own way. He will win over the players with his diligence and preparation. They will respect his commitment.”

Colleagues also noted his deep voice and sometimes gravely New England character. They say he’s got a certain grit and hardness. He loves hockey and talking hockey.

If those attributes sound familiar, it is because those were the strengths of former bench boss Mike Sullivan, who is the new Rangers head coach. They are also the reason that former Rangers coach Pete Laviolette, for whom Muse worked first in Nashville and then in New York, is a big fan of Muse, and the two worked closely together.

In fact, the story is that Muse was not a high-profile candidate to become Laviolette’s assistant in Nashville, but his presentation was so impressive, Laviolette couldn’t help but hire him.

We’re guessing that Muse did the same thing to beat out several high-profile candidates for the Penguins’ job. That search included plenty of former NHL coaches and the up-and-coming Mitch Love from the Washington Capitals. Still, ultimately Dubas decided on Muse, and it seems his work in the USHL, where he won a championship with the Chicago Steel in 2018, also stood out to Dubas.

“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,” said Dubas. “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.”

Muse raised the next generation of U.S. players as the head coach of the U.S. National Development Team and then at various levels of the USA Hockey international teams, including the Team USA U18s.

Muse coached teams led by Jack Hughes and Lane Hutson (2021) and Will Smith (2022). That 2021 team also included Pittsburgh-native Logan Cooley and current Penguins winger Rutger McGroarty.

From what we know about Dubas and now Muse, he is a good fit. He’s a young, energetic, but studious type; in some ways quite similar to Dubas.

Coaching Philosophy?

Muse coached under Laviolette for five seasons, and Laviolette is a heavy forecheck coach. Muse will report to the Penguins with certain principles and ideas, but colleagues also report that he’s engaging and collaborative. Unlike Sullivan, who delivered the edicts, Muse will include the team’s leadership in discussions.

However, the question many will ask: Is he an offensive or defensive coach?

If only it were that simple. Muse will coach the Penguins for success, and that means adapting a system to the available players. He is not arriving in Cranberry with predetermined systems to which Dubas must fit players; Muse will fit the system to the players.

Muse is also a progressive coach. USA Hockey is a progressive organization in thought and instruction, and Muse was a big part of the American players’ education. In a stark change for the Penguins veterans, there will be more presentations on iPads and fewer on the whiteboards. That might seem an insignificant detail, but for veterans, it’s a big change. It’s going digital from the analog world.

It’s part of Dubas turning the page to the next chapter and new players.

Some colleagues pointed out that Muse might need to fight the temptation to over-instruct. He can be a systems wonk, and such detail isn’t necessary for Sidney Crosby and the veterans for whom the game is instinctive.

There is clearly a new day and a new direction for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Dubas tabbed his coach, and it is a candidate who fits him very well. We’ll see how well he fits the team and the situation.

Dan Muse may be the coach, but this is now exclusively Dubas’s organization.