[News] Penguins fire Mike Johnston. Name Mike Sullivan new coach.

[sureLoss]

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.ht...t-twt-penguins

Mike Sullivan has been named head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was announced today by General Manager Jim Rutherford.

Sullivan replaces Mike Johnston, who was relieved of his duties earlier today.

Assistant coach Gary Agnew also was relieved of his duties.

Sullivan, 47, was in his first season as head coach of the Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, leading his team to an 18-5 record and first place in the Atlantic Division.

The Marshfield, MA native was head coach of the Boston Bruins from 2003-06 and was an NHL assistant coach for eight seasons with the Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. He spent the 2014-15 season as player development coach for the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.

Sullivan will be joined on the bench by assistant coaches Rick Tocchet and Jacques Martin when he makes his Pittsburgh debut Monday night against the Washington Capitals at CONSOL Energy Center.

Tocchet has been a Penguins’ assistant coach since the start of the 2014-15 season. Martin began the current season in a newly-created role of special assistant to the head coach, serving as an “eye in the sky” observer from the press box.

“I felt it was time for a coaching change because our team has underachieved,” Rutherford said. “Our expectations are much higher with this group of players.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Probably the right call, I can't fathom how that team only scores 2.36 goals per game with that talent.

Is that two coaches fired so far this year or have there been more?

[Harry Lime]

Que 15 points in the next 5 games for Crosby.

[transplant99]

Classic case of under-performing players getting a pass while someone else pays the price. A group put together by the guy that just scape-goated the coach. Rutherford seems like a guy who has lost touch with the game and is unable to adjust to what it has become...and truth is its understandable.

Will be interesting to watch, moving forward, to see if these guys (particularly Crosby) are able to pick up their compete level at all.

[Erick Estrada]

It's never always just the coaches fault but it's impossible to trade players now and Johnston never felt like a good fit for this club.

[Harry Lime]

In this particular case, Johnston was a big part of the problem. Watching the game that was played here, and bits and pieces once in a while, his systems were built for a bottom dwelling team with no talent. He had Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Letang and Maata dumping and chasing on the powerplay to grind it out in the corners.

[dash_pinched]

Sean Gentille


Alex Ovechkin (5) still has the lead over Sidney Crosby (4) in Career Coaches, but Crosby has really closed the gap.

Edit - Actually, it's tied at 5-5 (Gentile forgot about Olczyk)

[sureLoss]

wrong thread

[cofias]

Writing was on the wall after this happened

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...134835019.html

[saillias]

That team will continue to spin its wheels until they get a competent GM in there. Rutherford sewered that D core and thought a high profile scoring winger would solve everything.

[CroFlames]

Nothing shocking here.

Having an über superstar on your team is both a blessing and a curse.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Nothing shocking here.

Having an über superstar on your team is both a blessing and a curse.

McDavid get his 12M contract yet? have to wait a couple years I guess

[PepsiFree]

This is why guys like Trotz and Quenneville deserve even more recognition. It takes a special talent to coach a team with superstars. Usually the superstars suffer, or the team does. They get it somehow.

Guys like Johnston, Cooper, Torts, Brent Sutter, just don't "get it" and that's why they'll never be considered great coaches or in some cases even good coaches.

Just a bunch of guys desperately trying to imitate Mike Babcock without thinking "hey, if Babcock had Crosby and Malkin, maybe his systems would be different."

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Classic case of under-performing players getting a pass while someone else pays the price. A group put together by the guy that just scape-goated the coach. Rutherford seems like a guy who has lost touch with the game and is unable to adjust to what it has become...and truth is its understandable.

Will be interesting to watch, moving forward, to see if these guys (particularly Crosby) are able to pick up their compete level at all.

Absolutely disagree. Johnston's system was terrible for that team, Crosby and Malkin did not just suddenly forget how to play high end hockey. Surprised it took this long.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

In this particular case, Johnston was a big part of the problem. Watching the game that was played here, and bits and pieces once in a while, his systems were built for a bottom dwelling team with no talent. He had Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Letang and Maata dumping and chasing on the powerplay to grind it out in the corners.

Was it Brent Sutter in a Johnson mask?

[flames_fan_down_under]

Johnston was a curious choice to begin with.

But the real mystery to me is Ray Shero and Dan Bylsma getting let go in favour of Jim Rutherford and subsequently Mike Johnston.

I always though Bylsma was a good coach, granted he "only" won one cup with Crosby and co. they were a competitive team every season with him at the helm.

Johnston was Crawford's assistant in Vancouver and Sullivan was Torts' assistant in Vancouver, just a series of mysterious choices.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by dino7c

McDavid get his 12M contract yet? have to wait a couple years I guess

The Oilers will have 3 cups by that time so no worries.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by flames_fan_down_under

Johnston was a curious choice to begin with.

But the real mystery to me is Ray Shero and Dan Bylsma getting let go in favour of Jim Rutherford and subsequently Mike Johnston.

I always though Bylsma was a good coach, granted he "only" won one cup with Crosby and co. they were a competitive team every season with him at the helm.

Johnston was Crawford's assistant in Vancouver and Sullivan was Torts' assistant in Vancouver, just a series of mysterious choices.

The other Vancouver connection here is that the Penguins first choice was Willie Desjardins who ended up choosing Vancouver.

[SHOGUN]

Fire Rutherford. The guy shouldn't be a GM in NHL.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Originally Posted by Blaster86

The other Vancouver connection here is that the Penguins first choice was Willie Desjardins who ended up choosing Vancouver.

Good one! And now there is a rumour the Vancouver Giants might want to hire Mike Johnston.