Penguins coach Mike Sullivan doesn’t like to talk about injuries. No NHL coach does. They’d rather memorize the tax code or explain how to take apart a carburetor.
Sullivan’s also human. Which means that, after a loss, he’d surely rather search for a solution in silence than answer questions about what went wrong.
Yet how Sullivan handles this sort of stuff provides a window into why he’s had so much success as head coach of this team.
Essentially, he doesn’t flinch. The demeanor doesn’t change. Sullivan’s the same guy whether the Penguins won by six or he just lost a 19th defenseman to injury.