The Pittsburgh Penguins left a nice little Christmas Present under the tree for head coach Mike Sullivan. The team announced today that he has signed a three-year contract extension that keeps him under contract through the end of the 2019-20 season.
The team made the announcement by releasing a joint statement on their twitter account and website.
Coach Mike Sullivan has signed a three-year contract extension through the 2019.20 season. Well deserved, Sully! https://t.co/JazTjpE7Xb pic.twitter.com/5ZsJ4AzNmG
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 26, 2016
Pittsburgh Penguins and Mike Sullivan Agree on Extension
Sullivan took over the Penguins on December 12, 2015 shortly after they fired Mike Johnston after getting off to a tough start last season. He was coaching the team’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins at the time. Sullivan would turn the team around, and lead them all the way to the 2016 Stanley Cup Championship. He has followed that up nicely, as the Penguins are 22-8-5 this season, one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for first place in the Metropolitan Division and the NHL’s best record.
“Mike did the best coaching job in the NHL last season,” Penguins executive vice-president and general manager Jim Rutherford said. “He continues to be a terrific coach and we are happy to give him a well-deserved extension.”
Sullivan talked to Sam Kasan of the team’s official site, about the extension later in the day. On why he was excited to be in Pittsburgh for three additional days, he said, “They do everything within their power to give the organization a chance to compete for championships. To be a part of that is exciting. I’m very grateful for the opportunity that I’ve been given here, and I look forward to the challenges ahead.”
Main Photo:
