On Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan will become the 21st NHL bench boss to coach 700 games with a single franchise.
After Friday night’s loss against the New York Rangers, Sullivan reached game No. 699 with the Penguins and has earned a record of 386-232-81.
As of 2024, he remains the only head coach to lead the Penguins to two Stanley Cup titles, winning back-to-back in 2016 and 2017.
Mike Sullivan reflected on his nearly nine years as coach of the Penguins.
By the time he finished, his eyes began to well.
“Tough for me to put it into words,” Sullivan said. “I mean, it’s been life-changing, this experience.”
Read it Here: https://t.co/RMEkek24qm #Pens
— Wes Crosby (@OtherNHLCrosby) December 6, 2024
Interestingly, former Penguins head coach and Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman is next on the list. He led Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup in 1992, following Bob Johnson, who guided the franchise to their first title in 1991.
Bowman coached 701 games with the Detroit Red Wings from 1993-94 to 2001-02, winning three championships with the club.
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Considering there are 54 games left in the season, Sullivan has a chance to surpass Milt Schmidt (725 games/Boston Bruins), Randy Carlyle (736 games/Anaheim Ducks), and Jacques Martin (748 games/Ottawa Senators) and claim 17th place on the all-time list to himself.
Only 11 head coaches have ever reached 800 games with a single franchise, and if Sullivan returns next season, he’ll be a lock to join one of the most exclusive clubs in NHL history.
