Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan signs 3-year contract extension

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan is here to stay!

The team announced that Sullivan signed a three-year contract extension with the team.

“Mike is one of the top coaches in the National Hockey League and it was important for us to have him signed long term,” said Penguins General Manager Ron Hextall. “He is a great leader that finds success through communication, honesty and accountability. We know that Sully is committed to continuing a winning culture here in Pittsburgh.”

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Sullivan started his career in Pittsburgh by leading the black and gold to back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 2016 and 2017. He was the first American-born coach in NHL history to win multiple Stanley Cups, the second head coach to win Stanley Cups in each of his first two seasons behind the bench with a team.

Sullivan was also the first head coach to lead his team to back-to-back championships since Scotty Bowman with the Detroit Red Wings in 1996 and 1997.

“This is a wonderful day for the entire organization with Mike committing to remain as head coach for the long term with the Penguins,” said Fenway Sports Group Principal Owner John Henry. “He has clearly demonstrated what an effective leader he is and it’s evident how well players respond to his philosophy and work ethic night after night, month after month.”

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

Sullivan took over behind the bench on Dec. 12, 2015, according to the team. Under his leadership, Pittsburgh’s 297 regular-season wins rank fourth in the league, while its 44 playoff wins rank second. Sullivan’s 297 wins with Pittsburgh are the most in team history.

Sullivan is 297-156-54 overall behind the Penguins’ bench, where his 507 games coached with Pittsburgh and .639 points percentage both rank second in team history. The Penguins have recorded 100 or more points in all five full 82-game seasons for which Sullivan has been head coach.

“We value the relationship we are developing with Mike and felt it was important to ensure that relationship would continue long term,” said Fenway Sports Group Chairman Tom Werner. “He’s one of the best coaches in the National Hockey League and we look forward to our continued collaboration with him and the entire Penguins organization to bring another Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh.”

Sullivan’s 300th career win came on March 11, 2021. He became the fourth American-born head coach with 300-plus wins, following John Tortorella, Peter Laviolette and Dan Bylsma. He became the 13th-fastest head coach in NHL history, and second-fastest American-born head coach, to reach 300 wins in 559 games.

Sullivan is also 9-5 in playoff series and has a franchise-record 44 postseason wins as a head coach.

The contract extension officially begins at the end of the 2023-24 season and runs through 2026-27.

Man caught burglarizing Downtown Pittsburgh McDonald’s

©2022 Cox Media Group