There is perhaps no more replaceable position in the professional sports world than the NHL head coach. They come and go with regularity. Change ‘em up. It’s easier to fire the coach than trade the whole team, as the saying goes.
Mike Sullivan knows this. Knows it better than anyone. He won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins after six months on the job, when the team looked down and out when he got there.
(And lost his first four games as Pens coach)
But Sullivan righted the ship. He persevered. Really, when you’re an NHL coach the only thing you can cling to is the steadiness of your mentality.