It's official — the Peter Laviolette era is over and the Mike Sullivan era has arrived.
As announced bright and early Friday morning, the former New York Rangers assistant is now the New York Rangers' 38th head coach in team history. He returns to Broadway after 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins; he previously served as an assistant under John Tortorella from 2009 to 2013.
New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury said the fact that Sullivan has won back-to-back Stanley Cups was a huge factor in hiring the Massachusetts native.
“Mike Sullivan has established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the NHL,” Drury said. “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.”
The back-to-back Stanley Cups Drury referenced were earned in 2015-16 and 2016-17, and in the process, he became just the second head coach in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup in each of his first two seasons with a team. This also made National Hockey League history — he is the only American-born head coach in NHL history who has won the Stanley Cup multiple times.
He is also the Penguins’ all-time leader in several coaching categories, including regular season games coached, regular season wins, postseason games coached, and postseason wins.
When it comes to his international resume, Sullivan served as Team USA’s head coach at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, and he was named the head coach for the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics.
“I would like to welcome Mike back to the Rangers organization,” said James L. Dolan, MSG Executive Chairman and CEO. “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.”
Sullivan will also be able to relate to the players on a personal level as he skated in 709 career NHL games over 11 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins, and Phoenix Coyotes. He was selected by the Rangers in the fourth round (69th overall) of the 1987 NHL Draft. Collegiately, he served as Boston University's team captain during his senior year.
Contract details are to follow, however ESPN's Emily Kaplan has said it is expected to be one of the richest coaching contracts in NHL history.
The hope now is that Sullivan's recent success in the league is something that can translate to New York. It helps that Sullivan has a good relationship with Chris Drury, and that synergy is something that be a positive.
Often times it seemed like Laviolette and Drury weren't in alignment with roster decisions, several young players failed to get opportunities even when the Rangers were very much out of the playoff picture, and that is something that will need to change going forward as the Rangers look to move forward.
Stay tuned for more stories on this news, and looking what Sullivan can do to get the Rangers back in the Stanley Cup picture.