Sullivan hired as Rangers coach, replaces Laviolette

Mike Sullivan was hired as coach of the New York Rangers on Friday.

The 57-year-old replaces Peter Laviolette, who was fired April 19 after two seasons.

Sullivan coached the Pittsburgh Penguins the past 10 seasons, a run that ended April 28 when he and the team decided to part ways.

He was 409-255-89 during his time in Pittsburgh, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. He's the Penguins' all-time leader in coaching wins in the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs (44-38).

“Mike Sullivan has established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the NHL,” Rangers general manager Chris Drury said Friday. “Given his numerous accomplishments throughout his coaching career -- including two Stanley Cups and leading Team USA at the international level -- Mike brings a championship-level presence behind the bench.

"I’ve gotten to know Mike very well over the years, including as teammates in the 1997 World Championships, when he coached me as a player in New York and through our shared time working together with USA Hockey. As we began this process and Mike became an available option for us to speak with, it was immediately clear that he was the best coach to lead our team.”

This season, Pittsburgh was 34-26-12 and finished 11 points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. It's the third straight season the Penguins have missed the postseason. He also coached the United States to a second-place finish at the 4 Nations Face-Off and will coach the U.S. at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

Sullivan is 479-311-112 with 15 ties in the regular season and 47-42 in the playoffs for Pittsburgh and the Boston Bruins.

He is the sixth-winningest among active coaches in the NHL, behind Paul Maurice (916 regular-season victories), Lindy Ruff (900), Pete DeBoer (662), Todd McLellan (624) and Jon Cooper (572).

Sullivan previously worked for the Rangers as an assistant for four seasons (2009-13) on coach John Tortorella's staff.

The Rangers were 39-36-7 this season, six points behind the Canadiens. It was a significant drop-off from 2023-24, when they won the Presidents' Trophy (55-23-4) and lost to the Florida Panthers in six games in the Eastern Conference Final.

"Quite simply, we fell short across the board," Drury said after Laviolette was fired. "Nobody here takes it lightly. We know our fans are frustrated and they deserve a better season than this. It starts with me."

Four teams are without a coach: the Anaheim Ducks, Penguins, Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks. Three teams -- the Bruins (Joe Sacco), Chicago Blackhawks (Anders Sorensen) and Philadelphia Flyers (Brad Shaw) -- finished the season with interim coaches.