Rangers usher in new era by hiring Mike Sullivan as next head coach

The stars have aligned for Mike Sullivan and the Rangers head coaching job.

Sullivan was named the 38th head coach of the Blueshirts in franchise history, the team announced Friday, concluding a two-week search that all but came to an end the moment the Penguins announced they’d be parting ways with the veteran bench boss on April 28.

This is the hire that never was back in 2021, when Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury’s first major decision was to relieve David Quinn of his head coaching duties.

If Sullivan were available then, the two-year tenures of both Gerard Gallant and Peter Laviolette may never have happened.

Mike Sullivan during an April 2025 game.

Alas, fate has a way of falling into place.

The Rangers dismissed Laviolette on April 19, after the team experienced a tumultuous season on the way to missing the playoffs for the first time in four years.

Just nine days later, Sullivan was out of work following a third consecutive year of failing to qualify for the postseason in Pittsburgh.

Chris Drury and Mike Sullivan worked together during the 4 Nations Face-off.

Sullivan comes to New York with 917 regular-season games and 89 playoff games of experience with both the Penguins and Bruins.

Over 10 years in Pittsburgh, Sullivan became the winningest coach in franchise history and helped deliver back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.

All time, the 57-year-old owns a 409-255-89 record and a .537 win percentage in the playoffs.

Drury and Sullivan worked together as recently as February at the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-off in Montreal and Boston, with the former serving as an assistant general manager and the latter serving as head coach.

The two also both have a Boston University heritage and shared a bench with the Rangers during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, when Sullivan was assistant coach and Drury was in his final two seasons of his playing days.

Mike Sullivan holding the Stanley Cup after the Penguins beat the Predators in 2017.

“Given his numerous accomplishments throughout his coaching career – including two Stanley Cups and leading Team USA at the international level – Mike brings a championship-level presence behind the bench,” Drury said in a statement.

“I’ve gotten to know Mike very well over the years, including as teammates in the 1997 World Championships, when he coached me as a player in New York and through our shared time working together with USA Hockey. As we began this process and Mike became an available option for us to speak with, it was immediately clear that he was the best coach to lead our team.”

Sullivan was also able to work with four Rangers while at the 4 Nations tournament in Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck.