Sullivan Dodges Penguins Firing; Says GM Relationship ‘Really Important’

New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury and his coaches have not always had a great relationship. At the same time, Mike Sullivan survived three GMs with the Pittsburgh Penguins before finally falling under the coaching guillotine after nearly a decade on the job.

Sullivan, 57, was rumored to have some differences with former Penguins GM Ron Hextall but a good relationship with current Penguins GM Kyle Dubas, at least until the end, as there are multiple reports of Sullivan and Dubas differing on the rebuilding timeline, which may have been a contributing factor in the split.

However, during his press conference to announce the termination, Dubas strongly denied that Sullivan had made any demands. The Penguins have missed the playoffs three years running, and Dubas said, “Sometimes the class needs a new professor and sometimes the professor needs a new class.”

Thursday, Sullivan was formally introduced as the New York head coach, six days after New York announced that he accepted the position and less than two weeks after his Penguins termination.

However, Sullivan refused to delve into the split with the Penguins that occurred after nine-and-a-half seasons, two Stanley Cups, and over 400 wins.

“I’m not going to get into why we parted ways in Pittsburgh,” Sullivan said. “I’m so appreciative of that opportunity that I had there, and so I’m grateful to everyone involved, most specifically the players there, who played extremely hard in the years that I was there.

“As for (the Rangers job), we had some successes (in Pittsburgh), so I have some experiences to draw on and what that looks like. I hope to bring that to this group here in New York.”

Sullivan did not get more specific, nor mention previous owners who hired him or players with whom he’s known to have a close relationship, such as Sidney Crosby. Throughout the 24-minute press conference, he instead focused exclusively on the Rangers and the opportunity ahead.

Sullivan also didn’t get specific when asked if he would have any say in personnel matters, but instead touted the importance of the coach-GM relationship.

“One of the things we talked about (in making this deal) is the importance of the relationship between him and me. And I can just go back to the experiences I’ve had over the years. Those experiences have told me that the relationship between the head coach and general manager is really important,” said Sullivan while choosing his words carefully. “I think it is important that we work on that relationship together so that we can share the same vision and work towards the same goals … I think (Drury) is excited about the possibility of what that relationship might look like, and I feel the same way. I’m every bit as excited.”

The American-born Sullivan became the 38th coach of the storied franchise, beginning with Lester Patrick, the grandfather of former Penguins GM Craig Patrick. He succeeds Peter Laviolette, who lasted three seasons with a 94-59-11 record.