Well, it's official.
After just four days on the open market as a head coaching option, ex-Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan has offically been named the 38th head coach in New York Rangers history.
The announcement came Friday morning via Rangers general manager Chris Drury.
New York Rangers Hire Coach Mike Sullivan: 'Mike Brings A Championship-Level Presence'The New York Rangers named Mike Sullivan their new coach on Friday.
“Mike Sullivan has established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the NHL,” Drury said in a statement. “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.”
After a decade at the helm, the Penguins and POHO/GM Kyle Dubas parted ways with Sullivan on Monday. In those 10 seasons with Pittsburgh, the team won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017 and went 409-255-89 during the regular season. He is the winningest coach in Penguins' franchise history and is 15th all-time in coaching wins with a single franchise.
Sullivan was also head coach of the Boston Bruins from 2003-06, and he held subsequent assistant coaching gigs with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks. Prior to joining the Penguins organization in 2015, he was also a player development coach for the Chicago Blackhawks.
![Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] United States coaches Mike Sullivan, right, and JohnTortorella during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game against Canada at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson-Imagn Images)](https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_hockey_news_pittsburgh_penguins_articles_513/d1493d7290ec5009b8c615fef3a660a1)
Sullivan's international experience aided in his hire, too, as he led Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-off tournament in February and will be the head coach of the men's hockey team at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy.
“I would like to welcome Mike back to the Rangers organization,” said James L. Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO of MSG. “Mike’s track record and success in the NHL and internationally speaks for itself, and I look forward to seeing him behind the Rangers bench.”
According to a report by ESPN's Emily Kaplan, the contract is a five-year deal with the highest average annual value awarded to a head coach in NHL history.
'I Started To Think That It May Just Be Time': Takeaways From Kyle Dubas's Press Conference Regarding Departure Of Mike SullivanOn Monday, Pittsburgh Penguins’ president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas shook the hockey world when he announced that head coach Mike Sullivan would not be returning to coach the Penguins in 2025-26.
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