The Toronto Maple Leafs officially hired ex-Chicago Blackhawks forward as a new assistant coach.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs becoming a bottom-dwelling sensation in the NHL, the team made a major change to the coaching their Original Six coaching staff. The power-play was languishing ranked 32nd in the league under Marc Savard. Their solution? A former Chicago Blackhawks forward.
However, General Manager Brad Treliving put those fears to rest as he found Savard's replacement in the AHL's Marlies organization.
That is former Blackhawks forward Steve Sullivan. Sullivan, a 1,011-game veteran in the NHL, had served as an assistant coach since 2024 with the Marlies.
For Sullivan, this is a major step-up, as he'll be behind an NHL bench for the first time in his coaching career.
Ex-Chicago Blackhawks forward Steve Sullivan joins the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant coach
Steve Sullivan was selected 233rd overall in the 9th round of the 1994 NHL draft by the New Jersey Devils.
He'd play with the Chicago Blackhawks for five years, 370 games, and 303 points (118-185) scored. Sullivan was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs after seven games at the start of the 1999-00 season.
The Maple Leafs would eventually move on from Sullivan, placing him on waivers at the start of the 1999-2000 season. He was claimed by the Chicago Blackhawks, and Sullivan would have some of the most productive seasons of his pro career in the Windy City.
His 2000-01 season with the Blackhawks was one of his most productive in his career, scoring 75 points (34-41).
Sullivan's time with the Blackhawks would come to an end in 2004, when the Original Six organization traded him to the Nashville Predators in February 2004, where the team would receive two 2nd-round picks in return.
The Blackhawks organization finds itself noteworthy among former NHL players who have ascended to a higher level. For Sullivan, it's coaching, and now becoming a vital piece in the coaching staff of another legendary team.