CRANBERRY Pa. -- Mike Sullivan reflected on his nearly nine years as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
By the time he finished, his eyes began to well.
"Tough for me to put it into words," Sullivan said. "I mean, it's been life-changing, this experience."
Sullivan will coach his 699th game for the Penguins against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, TVAS-D, SNW, SNO, SNE) on Friday. He'll hit 700 when the Penguins return home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
The milestone isn't perfectly round. It's not 500 or 1,000. It is elusive, though.
Sullivan will be the 21st in NHL history to coach at least 700 games for one team. Jon Cooper (903 for the Tampa Bay Lightning) is the only one with a longer active uninterrupted streak. Lindy Ruff has coached 1,191 for the Buffalo Sabres across two stints.
In a business of change, Sullivan is a constant. Hired Dec. 12, 2015, to replace Mike Johnston, the 56-year-old has worked under three general managers. Jim Rutherford promoted him from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Sullivan remained when Ron Hextall took over Feb. 9, 2021. Kyle Dubas, current GM and president of hockey operations, was hired June 1, 2023.
On Dec. 9, 2021, Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle sold the Penguins to Fenway Sports Group (FSG). Dubas and FSG have routinely backed Sullivan.
"From a career standpoint, it's been a game-changer in so many ways," Sullivan said. "I am so privileged to have the opportunity to coach here in Pittsburgh. It's a first-class organization. Been through a couple of ownership groups. Both groups bring such a first-class leadership to what we do here."
Their longest-tenured coach, Sullivan is 386-231-81 with the Penguins, winning the Stanley Cup in each of his first two seasons.
"I think when you look at a period of time like that, you have different teams, different personnel and things like that," Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby said. "I think you have to be able to adapt to that. Obviously, you have a belief in the way you want to play and (how) the team is built. ... He's been able to do that consistently.
"He's been able to deliver his message and communicate that for a long time. On top of that, you've got to win. He's done that as well."
On June 14, 2017, in front of an estimated crowd of 650,000 at Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh, Sullivan spoke of a potential three-peat. The Penguins have not won a series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2018. A streak of 16 straight postseason appearances, then the NHL's longest active, ended in 2023. They missed again last season.
This season, the Penguins (11-12-4) are sixth in the Metropolitan Division and 10th in the Eastern Conference. They are averaging 2.81 goals per game, which is tied for 21st in the League, and allowing 3.78, which is tied with the Colorado Avalanche for last. However, they've won four in a row after losing their previous three (0-2-1), including a 5-4 victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 27. Giving up the final three goals, including two in the third period, welcomed stress to a game that seemed routine when Bryan Rust made it 5-1 at 3:40 of the second period.
"When you're going through a skid like we've gone through, as you guys can imagine, it's human nature," Sullivan said afterward. "We're scarred because they care."
Scars never actually go away. They're permanent, but they can fade to being nearly invisible.
"I think winning helps that," Sullivan said Wednesday. "I think these guys are proud guys. They care an awful lot about what's going on and we're in the business of winning. I think winning helps that mindset, for sure. I give the players a lot of credit. They've just worked their way through the process. That's the only solution.
"When you go through stretches like we went through, where it was a struggle to find the win column, this is an unforgiving league. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us, nor should we."
Sullivan isn't solely defined by winning, though. To Kris Letang, he's been a support system. In April 2017, Letang had neck surgery to repair a herniated disk he thought could threaten his career. The defenseman had a stroke Nov. 28, 2022, his second in the NHL.
"He's always a person-first mentality," Letang said. "Your health was always the most important thing for 'Sully.' He's always checked on me when things were not going the right way. Always offered support. His door is always open."
Sullivan wants to win, not just for himself. It's for the core of Crosby, Letang and Evgeni Malkin. And for Rust, whom Sullivan coached in the AHL and for all but 19 of the 32-year-old forward's 587 NHL games.
"To be associated with the players that I've had the opportunity to coach here for that length of time, I don't take one day of it for granted," Sullivan said. "It's just been an amazing run. I love going to work with these guys every day. We've been through our successes and failures. We've been through our ups and downs. It's been a little bit of an emotional roller coaster, but I wouldn't change any of it.
"I just think to compete with these guys every day has been an incredible privilege. They care a lot. That's part of why I think it's an emotional roller coaster because of the personalities and the passion that these guys bring to the rink every day, but it's hard for me to articulate to you guys what this experience to coach this team in Pittsburgh means to me."
