Mike Sullivan, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, was officially introduced as the 38^th head coach in Rangers history on Thursday morning.

“It’s an incredible honor to be the head coach of such a storied franchise, an Original Six team, a team that has such deep history and such a passionate fan base,” Sullivan said. “It’s hard not to get excited about being the head coach of an organization like this.”

“Having been on an opposing team’s bench and playing against the Rangers inside the division for all these years, I’ve grown a ton of respect for the players that are in that room and the talent that they have,” the 57-year-old added. “The opportunity to work with a group like that certainly excites me.”

As the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sullivan hoisted back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, leading Pittsburgh to the playoffs in each of his first seven seasons at the helm.

After missing the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, though, Sullivan and the Penguins parted ways.

That’s where Rangers GM Chris Drury pounced on the opportunity to bring Sullivan to New York.

“I truly believe Mike is a premier coach in the National Hockey League. His resume, both in the NHL and in international play, speaks for itself,” Drury said. “The second Mike was available, we quickly and aggressively pursued him, and we’re certainly thrilled that that pursuit led us to this moment today. There’s a lot of work to be done, and I’m very excited to be partnered with Mike as we collectively try to achieve our goals here in New York.”

Sullivan earned his first NHL head coaching job in 2003 with Boston, and he’d coach the Bruins for two seasons. He then spent some time as an assistant coach for a handful of NHL teams, including the Rangers, with whom he worked as an assistant with John Tortorella until landing the Penguins’ top job.

And while he has experience coaching and playing in Madison Square Garden, standing behind the bench as the Rangers head coach is something he certainly doesn’t take for granted.

“I had the privilege of coaching here as an assistant coach, as you guys know, 15 years ago, and I’ve had the privilege of coaching here as an opposing team here at Madison Square Garden,” Sullivan said. “We played these guys in the playoffs a few years ago. I don’t know that there’s a more electric building in the league than Madison Square Garden. It really is a privilege to play in that building, regardless of which bench you’re on. But I can only anticipate what it would be like to be behind the Rangers bench as the head coach. It’s an incredible honor. This is one of the more passionate fanbases in the league, and I look forward to that moment.”

Former Carolina Hurricanes forward Mikko Rantanen was the main reason why the Dallas Stars defeated the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. With the Stars down 2-0 in Game 7, Rantanen scored a hat trick and recorded an assist in the third period to secure them a 4-2 win over the Avalanche.

With his four-point Game 7, Rantanen recorded five goals and 11 points in his final three games against the Avalanche in the first round. Now, he is only continuing to stay red-hot in the Stars' second-round series against the Winnipeg Jets.

In Game 1 against the Jets, Rantanen once again led the Stars to a victory. The former Hurricanes winger scored three goals in the second period, and the Stars won the contest by a 3-2 final score. With this, Rantanen now has recorded hat tricks in back-to-back games and has eight goals and 14 points in his last four contests.

Rantanen is a big-time star when playing at his best, and it is exactly why the Hurricanes acquired him back in January. However, they were forced to trade him at the deadline to the Stars, as the 2015 tenth-overall pick made it clear that he was not open to signing a contract extension with the Canes. However, after being acquired by the Stars, he signed an eight-year, $96 million contract extension with Dallas.

In 13 games with the Hurricanes before being traded to the Stars, Rantanen had two goals, six points, and a minus-3 rating. Overall, he had a tough time adjusting to the Hurricanes' system, but he certainly has found a fit with the Stars.

Recent Hurricanes News 

Former Hurricanes Forward Is Absolutely Thriving In PlayoffsBack in October, former Carolina Hurricanes forward Max Pacioretty signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was after the veteran winger joined the club at training camp on a professional tryout (PTO).  Hurricanes Legend Eric Staal Lands Exciting New GigThe Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have hired Carolina Hurricanes legend Eric Staal as special assistant to the general manager. Carolina Hurricanes Announce New In-State Affiliation The Carolina Hurricanes finally have their own ECHL affiliate again. Hurricanes Forward To Be Game-Time Decision For Game 2Carolina Hurricanes center Mark Jankowski will be a game-time decision for Game 2 according to coach Rod Brind'Amour.

One year ago today, the Vancouver Canucks were in a much different spot from where they are now. While they are nearly a month into the off-season this year, last year, they had just completed one of the most impressive postseason comebacks in franchise history. May 8, 2025, marks one year since the Canucks stole Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers after climbing back from a 4–1 deficit. 

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The game started poorly for the Canucks, who found themselves down 2–0 early on thanks to first-period goals from Zach Hyman and Mattias Ekholm. While Dakota Joshua cut the Edmonton lead by one less than a minute into the second period, another tally by Hyman and one from Cody Ceci gave the Oilers a 4–1 lead with a little less than half of the game over. 

From a Canucks standpoint, things looked bleak. However, something about the energy in the building made it feel like Vancouver wasn’t quite down and out. When Elias Lindholm scored to shorten Edmonton’s lead to 4–2, the team could have easily rolled over and called it a night. However, halfway through the third period, J.T. Miller found the back of the net, bringing the deficit to 4–3. 

With every goal that Vancouver scored, the crowd grew louder and the towels waved faster. By the time Nikita Zadorov’s blast from the blueline flew past Stuart Skinner, Rogers Arena was so loud that you could barely hear yourself think. All of a sudden, Edmonton’s 4–1 lead had been whittled down to a 4–4 tie. 

Fans didn’t have to wait long for Vancouver to seize the lead for the first time in the series. Less than a minute after Zadorov’s tying goal, Conor Garland advanced on the Oilers’ net and faked a shot before sliding the puck into the net. Just like that, the Canucks were the team in control of the series. 

Even though the series didn’t end the way the team or the fans would have wanted it to, the Canucks should still be proud of the effort they exhibited this time last year. Who knows — maybe they’ll be in the same place they were in 2024 come 2026. 

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The Pittsburgh Penguins finished with the ninth-worst record in the NHL and were slated to be drafted 9th overall at the 2025 Draft, but dropped two spots after the New York Islanders and Utah Hockey Club moved up. 

Interestingly, 2025 will mark the second time in franchise history that Pittsburgh has selected 11th overall. For those wondering when the first time was, we have to go back to the club's initial draft in 1967, where the Penguins had two picks, Steve Rexe (second overall) and Bob Smith (11th overall). 

Out of the 18 picks in the 1967 Amateur Draft, only three made it to the NHL, including Serge Bernier (Philadelphia Flyers - 5th overall), Bob Kelly (Toronto Maple Leafs - 16th overall), and Al Karlander (Detroit Red Wings - 17th overall). 

Ultimately, this leads us back to Smith. Who was he, and how far did he make it in professional hockey? Let's dig into the numbers and find out what happened to the only player the Penguins have ever drafted at 11th overall.

Who is Bob Smith, the 11th overall pick in the 1967 Amateur Draft?

Smith was born in Sault St. Marie, Ontario, on Dec. 1, 1946. As a local kid, he played junior hockey with the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds in the NOJHL from 1963 to 1967. 

He had 27 points in 19 games as a rookie, almost tripling his production as an 18-year-old for the 1964-65 season, thanks to 44 goals and 44 assists, which netted him 88 points. 

During his third campaign, Smith outperformed his previous totals by two, scoring 46 goals and collecting 46 assists for 92 points in 40 games. Moreover, he set a career high in penalty minutes that season, sitting in the box for 50.

Penguins Drop Two Slots In NHL Draft, Will Pick 11th OverallIn past draft lotteries, the Pittsburgh Penguins have seen their fair share of luck.

Heading into his final junior season, Smith cracked 100 points for the only time, scoring 48 goals and 52 assists to reach 100 points. 

The Penguins saw something in Smith and drafted him as the 11th overall pick at the 1967 Amateur Draft on June 7, 1967. 

However, Smith never made it to the NHL. Instead, he played his entire professional career in the IHL with the Muskegon Mohawks from 1967 to 1972, winning the Turner Cup in 1968.

As a 21-year-old, Smith made his IHL debut in 1967 and scored 26 goals and 60 points. He followed that up with 38 goals and 82 points in his second season. Meanwhile, he played just three games in 1968-69 for the Amarillo Wranglers in the CenHL, registering no points. 

Unfortunately, Smith didn't play much of the 1969-70 season, scoring a point-per-game with seven goals and six assists in just 13 games. Yet, he bounced back with another 28-goal season the following year to finish the 1970-71 campaign with 67 points.

Finally, Smith's professional career ended following the 1971-72 season, during which he tallied 33 goals and a personal best 84 points in 61 games while collecting only nine penalty minutes. 

Overall, Smith averaged 2.22 points-per-game in junior hockey, thanks to 152 goals and 155 assists for 307 points in 138 games, while his professional totals were just as impressive at 1.10 points-per-game, with 132 goals, 174 assists, and 306 points in 277 games. 

EDMONTON – Some people just can’t stay away.

Often, when an NHL player retires, they move in to another aspect of hockey.

Edmonton Oilers fans are more than familiar with this concept. Wayne Gretzky went on to be an NHL head coach, Kevin Lowe was the GM of the Oilers at one point, and Paul Coffey currently serves on Kris Knoblauch’s coaching staff.

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But former Oilers forward Pat Maroon appears to be going the route of Oilers legend Mark Messier.

It was announced on Wednesday morning that the NHL on TNT broadcast would be gaining a few special guests in the next week. 

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Ex-Oilers Pat Maroon Makes Big Emotional AnnouncementEDMONTON – All good things must come to an end.

Former Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet will join the broadcast for Friday and Saturday’s slate of games. Maroon will join for Monday’s games.

Considering how Maroon has been in interviews and media scrums, it’s not surprising that he would be drawn to broadcasting. Additionally, Monday is an interesting day to hop aboard.

COACH TOCC AND THE BIG RIG 🍿

Excited to be welcoming a new guest (and an old friend) to the desk this weekend 📺 pic.twitter.com/oXjGJL5XHh

— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) May 7, 2025

There are two games slated for Monday. Game 4 of the Washington Capitals series against the Carolina Hurricanes and Game 4 between the Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights.

Maroon announced his retirement from hockey in the past month. He had a long career and played with many NHL teams. In 848 career games he recorded 323 points and 1087 penalty minutes.

Maroon’s most successful offensive season came while with the Oilers. In the 2016-17 season, he recorded a 27-goal, 42-point season while playing 16:44 a game.

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There are a lot of vacancies in the NHL team's coaching department. As things stand, the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Seattle Kraken, and Vancouver Canucks are all without a permanent head coach right now.

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Meanwhile, Montreal Canadiens’ coach Martin St-Louis has been nominated for the Jack Adams Trophy alongside Scott Arniel and Spencer Carbery. Meanwhile, Pascal Vincent, who’s at the helm of the Laval Rocket, has been named coach of the year in the AHL.

Before joining the Rocket, Vincent coached the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was put in a less-than-ideal position, leading the Ohio outfit to a 27-43-12 record with a .402 points percentage and finishing dead last in the Metropolitan Division.

A year later, he’s in charge of the Canadiens’ affiliate in the AHL and had his team winning the regular season championship and currently coasting to the third round of the playoffs. Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has already said he won’t stand in Vincent’s way, if a team wants to speak to the Laval coach, they’ll be allowed to, and it will be up to Vincent to decide when they can do that.

Speaking to the media, Vincent explained:

If an (NHL) team wants my services, they will have to be patient. Usually when you really want someone, you can wait one week, two weeks, three weeks or even a month…Just to be interviewed for a head coaching job in the (NHL) is an immense privilege…But for now, my focus is on the boys (in Laval).

- Pascal Vincent on teams being interested in his services. 

While it's reassuring to hear the coach is entirely focused on the Rocket’s destiny right now, it certainly doesn’t sound like a man who’s not interested in making the jump. It would be a shame for the Canadiens to lose him, but you can’t stop a man from moving up in the world.

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Gone to another team, but (definitely) not forgotten.

The Colorado Avalanche are still licking their wounds from a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to Mikko Rantanen and the Dallas Stars.

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The Stars have a two-game win streak, in no small part due to the play of the former Avalanche superstar.

In Game 1 against the Winnipeg Jets, Rantanen scored another hat trick. This hat trick is more impressive for several reasons.

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The first reason is that Rantanen is the third player in NHL playoff history to record hat tricks in back-to-back games. The other two players to do it were Jari Kurri during the 1985 playoffs and Doug Bentley in 1944.

The second reason is Rantanen's involvement in all of the Stars’ goals. He has factored in each of the Stars’ last 12 goals, the longest streak in playoff history. Heading into Wednesday night’s game, he was tied with Mario Lemieux for the longest streak (nine goals).

MIKKO RANTANEN HAT TRICK!!! 🎩🎩🎩 #StanleyCuppic.twitter.com/1wqNREHEDt

— NHL (@NHL) May 8, 2025

Finally, Rantanen broke some Stars’ records. He became the first Stars player to record a natural hat trick in a playoff game. He scored his hat trick within eight minutes during the second period to lead his new team to a 3-2 victory.

His recent playoff accomplishments leave a bittersweet taste in the mouths of Avalanche fans. On the one hand, it's great for him to have success with his new club. On the other hand, it’s with a different team.

While the Avalanche contemplate what went wrong this season, at least Rantanen is experiencing a new, rejuvenated life in Dallas.

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