Monday began with a shocker and Pens Points has you covered with all you may have missed.
For nearly a decade, Mike Sullivan loomed large behind the Pittsburgh Penguins bench as head coach, amassing more wins than any coach in franchise history and guiding the team to historic back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. Having lasted longer in the role than many coaches do with one team, everyone expected his reign to eventually come to an end and Monday was that day.
Pens Points…
In perhaps the most shocking news to come out of the Penguins franchise this century, the team announced on Monday it has agreed to mutually part ways with head coach Mike Sullivan after almost a decade at the helm. [Pensburgh]
The official announcement of Sullivan’s departure was released by the team at around 9 AM local time by Kyle Dubas. In his statement, Dubas thanked Sullivan for his years of service to the Penguins and noted the search for a new head coach will begin immediately. [Penguins]
Why the Penguins and Sullivan decided to part ways now is not known at the moment nor are the exact reasons for the split. We’ll likely learn more in the coming days, but right now as we have is speculation into what went down. [Pensburgh]
In the moments following the news breaking regarding Sullivan’s departure rumors started flying that the coach had made demands to Dubas about the ream. During his press conference, Dubas put those rumors to rest rather quickly. [Sports Illustrated]
There will be plenty written about Sullivan’s exit from Pittsburgh, but it never should be forgotten what he did here. It may have been time for a fresh voice in the room, but the banners he won will hang forever as a tribute to his legacy. [The Athletic $$]
One imagines pulling the trigger on removing Sullivan as head coach was not any easy decision for Dubas or one he took lightly. Sometimes even the hardest decisions on the right one to make so both sides can move forward. [Daily Faceoff]
Dubas made it clear that the search for Sullivan’s replacement will begin immediately. There are a few names already in Pittsburgh but non exactly inspire the type of confidence that Dubas seems to be seeking to lead the Penguins into a new era. [The Athletic $$]
After a short time away, Danton Heinen found himself back with the Penguins after being dealt from Vancouver as part of the Marcus Pettersson trade. His latest stint with the Penguins was not up to his standards and has him ready for another shot. [Trib Live]
NHL News and Notes…
There doesn’t appear to be much debate about who will win the Vezina Trophy this season as the NHL’s best goaltender, but the final field is now settled with Connor Hellebuyck, Darcy Kuemper, and Andrei Vasilevskiy named as finalists. [NHL]
Young guns from around the league have taken these Stanley Cup playoffs by storm for their respective teams. By the time the Cup is awarded, there are going to be many more household names coming from these payoffs. [Sportsnet]