BOSTON – It probably took a lot longer than Mike Sullivan expected to get another NHL head coaching gig nearly 10 years after his first one ended with the Boston Bruins, but once again persistence has won out in the world of hockey.
The former BU and Bruins standout was named the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday after outgoing Pens head coach Mike Johnston was relieved of his duties amid some major underachieving across the Pittsburgh roster.
Sullivan was the head coach of the Bruins during the end of the Joe Thornton era in Boston, and had some success during the regular season, coupled with an inability to get over the hump during the playoffs. The Marshfield native led the Bruins to 70 wins in two seasons behind the Boston bench from 2003-2006 before getting fired by incoming GM Peter Chiarelli, and had spent the last 10 years living the nomadic life of an NHL assistant coach in Tampa Bay, New York and Vancouver before taking the AHL gig with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.
So Sullivan paid his dues to get another head coaching job in the NHL, and is still remember fondly with the Bruins as the coach to first give Patrice Bergeron a chance as a then-unknown 18-year-old back in 2003-04.
“It’s one of those things where sometimes it takes a while [to get another head job], but it’s well deserved for him,” said Bergeron. “What I can remember is he’s the one who gave me my chance in my first year. He’s someone that was, you know, so fair with everyone.
“It didn’t matter who you were. It was about, you know, earning your ice time and making guys accountable by the way that you were showing up to the rink every day. I learned a lot from him and I can’t say enough about him. So I’m really happy for him.”
Now the notoriously intense Sullivan’s big challenge will be connecting with Bergeron’s buddy in Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby, as the Penguins try to get things back on track after slacking over the last few months.