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Chicago Blackhawks granted golden opportunity to land two-time Stanley Cup Champion head coach Mike Sullivan
The Chicago Blackhawks' general manager Kyle Davidson's search for a head coach just got a bit more complex with two-time Stanley Cup Champion Mike Sullivan being fired by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
Longtime Penguins head coach, who lead Sidney Crosby and the organization to back-to-back Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017 has been relieved of his duties as of Monday, April 28th, according to a statement released by the team.
«On behalf of Fenway Sports Group and the Penguins organization, I would like to thank Mike Sullivan for his unwavering commitment and loyalty to the team and City of Pittsburgh over the past decade,» said president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas. «Mike is known for his preparation, focus, and fierce competitiveness. I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to his dedication to this franchise for the past two seasons. He will forever be an enormous part of Penguins history, not only for the impressive back-to-back Cups, his impact on the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, but more importantly, for his love and loyalty to the organization.»
It seems as though it is a mutual decision for the longtime head coach and the aging Pittsburgh Penguins to go their separate ways, which opens doors for new opportunities on both sides.
Sullivan has two years left on his remaining three-year contract that was recently signed, and he now joins a formidable list of candidates added to the list of several teams in dire need of an experienced head coach.
The Penguins now join the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Rangers as teams with vacant roles in the head coaching position.
Sullivan had led the team to greatness throughout the Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang era, but as players are aging and their weak prospect pool is starting to fill up their roster, losing habits are piling up in Pittsburgh.
Chicago would be a very wise destination for Sullivan and the Blackhawks, as he could guide Connor Bedard to a much better game defensively and offensively-as he's done with Sidney Crosby for the past 10 years.
Team reporter Scott Powers belives so as well:
What do you think?
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 28 | 275 ANSWERS Chicago Blackhawks granted golden opportunity to land two-time Stanley Cup Champion head coach Mike Sullivan Do you think the Chicago Blackhawks should take a chance on this successful head coach? | ||
| Yes | 225 | 81.8 % |
| No, stay away! | 50 | 18.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
