Exactly one year ago today, the Pittsburgh Penguins made quite possibly their biggest coaching change in decades — and very much for the better. Let’s be honest, when it comes to the coaching carousel, the Penguins aren’t like their neighbors the Pittsburgh Steelers, which have had three head coaches in 47 years. In the last seven years, Pittsburgh has cycled through four coaches: Michel Therrien, Dan Bylsma, Mike Johnston and, now, Sullivan. While Sullivan only has a year under his belt ... Read More
A history of Pens coaching changes, part 2
43 years after watching his team make their first mid-season coaching change General Manager Jim Rutherford presides over the most recent move. In the years since salary cap was implemented after the 2004-05 lockout the Pittsburgh Penguins have gone through five different coaches. All but one of the four coaching changes were mid-season replacements in which the AHL coach was promoted to replace his predecessor. The Sidney Crosby Era Ed Olczyk took over as Head Coach during a very dark time ... Read More
Pens reunite the top line of Kunitz, Crosby and Dupuis
The Pittsburgh Penguins decided to shake things up by changing the forward line combinations once again. This time they decided to try to fall back to the tried and true combination of Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby, and Pascal Dupuis. Of course this has caused quite a stir as there are those who feel Kunitz and Dupuis are too old and not talented enough to play with Crosby, a sentiment that has been echoed time and again since the line was first put together. Crosby was drafted by the Penguins ... Read More
Penguins welcome back Bylsma with a 4-3 victory
The Pittsburgh Penguins welcomed back former Head Coach Dan Bylsma as the Buffalo Sabres came to town. The team provided a touching tribute video highlighting his years with the team and he received a standing ovation from the crowd. The Penguins walked away with a 4-3 win, finishing the night with a perfect special teams record by stopping both chances against them and scoring on their own opportunity. The Sabres outshot the Penguins 53-29, much of that coming during the 3rd period as the ... Read More
Report: Sabres to interview Dan Bylsma
Just 24 hours after losing out on the NHL’s top free agent head coach, the Buffalo Sabres have set their sights on someone new, and it’s a name familiar to Penguins fans. With the ink still drying on former Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock’s eight-year $50 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, news broke today that the Sabres have asked for and received permission to interview former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma. Sabres moving on quickly from Babcock. Have ... Read More
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Regime Change Will Give New Meaning To ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’
(Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins) As the #IceBucketChallenge summer rolls along, it reminds us that the Pittsburgh Penguins are about to experience a splash of frigid water to the face. Even though general manager Jim Rutherford and head coach Mike Johnston have been in place since June, the realities of the new regime probably haven't taken hold for most of the Penguins yet. That will change in a few weeks when training camp begins. For five years, the Penguins had the luxury of a consistent ... Read More
Does Penguins Coaching Job Come With the Most Pressure in All Sports?
You have to look at the Pittsburgh Penguins coaching search and simply scratch your head at what has been going on. At the end of the day, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has to find the right man to right the ship and ultimately that won't be an easy task. When you look at the Penguins vacancy, you would think there would be a long list of quality coaching candidates who would be jumping at the opportunity to coach Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in their primes, but that hasn't ... Read More
Shero and Bylsma Share Equal Blame
After the Penguins were swept in four games against the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals, changes should have been made. At the very least, Dan Bylsma should have been fired and Kris Letang probably should've been traded to not only create cap space but build depth at forward. Instead, the Penguins kept Bylsma and rewarded Kris Letang by giving him an eight year extension worth $58 million. The result? Another embarrassing early exit in the playoffs and now the dream of seeing ... Read More
Ray Shero made the right call to bring back Dan Bylsma
It was a four-game series that very few saw coming. I heard some predictions say that the Boston Bruins would win the series against the Penguins. I mean, I was one of them. Most of the predictions that had the Bruins winning had the series going six or seven games. Not once, even from the biggest Boston version of a Yinzer, did I see anyone say a sweep. It was unfathomable. It truly was. It did, however, happen. All of the moves that Penguins General Manager Ray Shero made at the trade deadline ... Read More
Penguins’ James Neal must adjust to new role on power play
The Pittsburgh Penguins power play is always a story and a topic for criticism among Penguins fans, but that power play has a new look only two days into training camp. Coming off a season in which the power play lived up to expectations, finishing among the top five in the NHL, Penguins' head coach Dan Bylsma has switched things up by moving James Neal to the left point alongside Kris Letang. Neal and Letang manned the points on the first unit with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Chris ... Read More