Extended Sullivan grateful to coach Pens

For Pens head coach Mike Sullivan, winning the Stanley Cup this past June was the greatest achievement of his professional career.

"For me, it ranks at the top of my list as one of the most rewarding, fulfilling experiences of my lifetime," said Sullivan, who has been a head coach and assistant coach in the NHL over the past 13 years.
But now that he's achieved that goal, where does he find the motivation to strive for a repeat of that coveted title?
"We're all in this to pursue excellence, to win a championship," he said. "I think that's why we're in it. I think that's what drives all of us when we get up and go to the rink everyday. I'm no different.
"I'm as hungry today as I was 10 years ago to try to win championships, try to excel and try to be the best at what we do. I think that's what drives each and everyone of us everyday."
Sullivan's hunger was on display during Pittsburgh's magical championship run in 2016, and it will be on display for the next several years as the Pens announced Monday afternoon that Sullivan signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him behind the team's bench through the 2019-20 season.
"It's nice to have some assurance and certainty," Sullivan said. "For (general manager) Jim (Rutherford) and (Pens CEO/president) David Morehouse to make it a priority means a lot to me. For them showing a vote of confidence in me and our coaching staff the way they have is rewarding from my standpoint."
Sullivan, 48, has been coaching in the National Hockey League since 2003 with several organizations, including the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Vancouver. And he appreciates working for a "first-class organization" in Pittsburgh.
"(The Pens) do things the right way. They treat people right," said Sullivan, who has also served as an assistant coach with Team USA in international play. "They do everything within their power to give the organization a chance to compete for championships. To be a part of that is exciting."
By now, everyone knows Sullivan's story. He began the 2015-16 season as head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but was promoted to Pittsburgh on Dec. 12, 2015. Sullivan took over a team that was struggling and mentally fragile. Over the course of the next six months Sullivan molded the team into a fast, resilient and dominating team that ended with the organization winning its fourth Stanley Cup championship.
"You strive your whole life to win championships," said Sullivan, a Marshfield, Massachusetts native. "Anytime you go through an experience like that you learn a lot about yourself and the people around you. You feel sometimes as though you have what it takes to get the job done. Until you actually go through it and get it done, you don't know for sure. We all find a level of personal satisfaction in knowing that we've made the ultimate commitment and sacrifices to try to win the Stanley Cup."
The Pens' turnaround was nothing short of magical. Pittsburgh went 33-12-5 in its last 50 games and 14-2 in its last 16 of the regular season while unleashing one of the nastiest offenses in the NHL, led by the point productions of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
But Sullivan's greatest accomplishment came from instilling a sense of resolve into a team that was mentally frail. One of his tactics was telling the players to ignore the negative noise surrounding the team, ignore the negative circumstances and "just play," a catchphrase that the team adopted and proudly wore on their playoff T-shirts during the incredible 16-8 postseason run to a championship title.
"From my experience being around this game is that the teams that have success or the players that have success down to a man are the people that learn how to respond the right way (to adversity)," Sullivan said. "The way it evolved with some of the vocabulary that I used was let's just play. We can't control certain things that go on out there and maybe don't go our way. We've got to react the right way. Let's just drop the puck, line up and play."
Sullivan, himself, showed a strong resolve when the Pens struggled early under his guidance, losing their first four contests, until they found their way. And it was his example from which the team fed.
"Talk is easy. It's through your living, breathing example that's most powerful," he said. "Whatever the message that leaders preach they certainly have to walk the walk. I felt strongly that I had to do the same."
With Sullivan setting the example, the leadership group in the Pens room soon following suit and it trickled down throughout the entire team.
"That's what makes me most proud of these guys and this group, is how well they responded to the challenges this team faced," he said. "I don't know that there was another team in the league that went through more adversity than this Pittsburgh Penguins team.
"We look towards these guys as inspiration to continue moving forward. They're a privilege to coach. We push them hard because we believe in them and we think they're capable of great things."
The Pens are already accomplishing great things during the young 2016-17 campaign. Pittsburgh has a 22-8-5 record which ranks second overall in the entire NHL, a single point behind Columbus.
With the Pens returning almost nearly everyone from last season's championship team there are high hopes for a repeat. Sullivan has embraced that pressure.
"I think of that saying, 'To whom much is given much is expected in return,'" Sullivan said. "We have very high expectations as an organization. … This is a new season with a whole new set of challenges.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity I've been given here, and I look forward to challenges ahead."