Penguins coach Mike Sullivan often approaches his postgame press conferences with an intensity that registers about an 11 on a scale of one to 10. Few smiles. A ton of seriousness.
This was … well, different.
On Saturday afternoon in St. Louis, standing outside the Penguins dressing room at Scottrade Center, Sullivan’s passion for coaching was smack-you-over-the-head obvious, his admiration for his players palpable. Sullivan’s face lit up as he spoke.
As we discussed what this year has been like for him personally, as well as what he took out of the Penguins’ slow start, his refusal to publicly rip players and a couple of other topics, it was hard to not think about the difference in Sullivan’s demeanor.