Don’t get me wrong, Mike Sullivan is a great hockey coach. This year though, his stubbornness is getting in the way of the Penguins’ victories. Let’s get straight to it.
Sullivan has always been a coach who has his guys, and sticks by them (no pun intended). For the most part, that has worked for him since becoming the head coach of the Pens in 2015. Guys like Matt Murray, Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary, and Tom Kuhnhackl all were part of the Pens AHL affiliate the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, who Sullivan coached. These guys were all part of the team that hoisted the Stanley Cup Trophy two years in a row in 2016 and 2017.