Sullivan, 53, previously served as an assistant coach on Peter Laviolette's staff at the 2006 Olympics. He has also represented his home country as head coach of Team USA at the 2007 World Championship and as an assistant coach at the '08 World Championship and '16 World Cup.
The Marshfield, Massachusetts native will be the third U.S. Olympic head coach in the last 20 years with Pittsburgh Penguins connections. Herb Brooks was a Penguins scout in 2002 when he guided the Americans to a silver medal in Salt Lake City, while Dan Bylsma was Pittsburgh's head coach when he was the U.S. Olympic team's bench boss in 2014.
Sullivan has proved to be one of the most successful coaches in the league since he was hired by the Penguins midseason in 2015. He led Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and '17, becoming the first American-born head coach to win two Stanley Cups. Sullivan is just the second head coach in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup in each of his first two years behind the bench with a team, following Toe Blake with Montreal.
Since taking over the Penguins' bench on Dec. 12, 2015, Pittsburgh's 251 regular-season wins rank third in the league, while its 41 playoff wins rank second. Sullivan's 251 wins with Pittsburgh are the second-most in team history, behind Bylsma's 252.
This past season, Sullivan recorded his 300th career win, becoming the fourth American-born head coach with 300-plus wins, following John Tortorella, Laviolette and Bylsma. He became the 13th-fastest head coach in NHL history, and second-fastest American-born head coach, to reach 300 wins in 559 games. Sullivan's career .614 winning percentage (321-187-15-66) ranks fifth among active coaches (min. 100 games coached).
Prior to his coaching career with Pittsburgh, Sullivan served as the head coach of the Boston Bruins from 2003-06 and an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2007-09), New York Rangers (2009-13) and Vancouver Canucks (2013-14), as well as a development coach with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014-15. Sullivan also spent time in the American Hockey League as the head coach of the Providence Bruins in 2002-03 and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2015-16.
As a player, Sullivan played 11 NHL seasons with the San Jose Sharks (1991-94), Calgary Flames (1994-97), Boston Bruins (1997-98) and Phoenix Coyotes (1998-2002). In 709 NHL games, he recorded 54 goals, 82 assists and 136 points.
Internationally, Sullivan represented the United States as a player at the 1988 World Junior Championship, as well as the 1997 World Championship.
Sullivan played four seasons of college hockey at Boston University from 1986-90, tallying 61 goals, 77 assists and 138 points in 141 games. He captained the Terriers during his senior season.
