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
Expect Pens to open their game up under Sullivan
After a 2-2-0 trip to the West Coast and losing in a shootout last night to the Los Angeles Kings, the second loss in five days to the Pacific Division leaders, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford decided to pull the plug on head coach Mike Johnston. The Penguins brought in Johnston at the start of last season to install a defensive mentality to combat bad habits picked up from the Dan Bylsma “run-and-gun” tenure. Johnston delivered on the expectations to some extent – the ... Read More
Penguins fire Johnston, Agnew; Sullivan to take over
It was just a matter of time. And on Saturday morning, time ran out on Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Johnston as the team announced through a team-issued release that Johnston and assistant coach Gary Agnew were relieved of their duties effective immediately. “I felt it was time for a coaching change because our team has underachieved,” general manager Jim Rutherford said in the release. “Our expectations are much higher with this group of players." Taking over for Johnston will be Mike ... 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
Is the door still open for Jacques Martin?
After starting the season 0-3, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Johnston appeared to be on the hot seat, but saved face when the Penguins went 10-2 over the next 12 games. The Penguins scored four goals only twice during the stretch and needed overtime or a shootout in three of the games. The trend started last year, with the Penguins scoring at least four goals only three times in 26 games through March and April, including the playoffs. Despite juggling the lines and adjusting the power ... Read More
Penguins off to a rocky start
The Pittsburgh Penguins have now lost the first three games of the 2015-16 NHL season, a feat they have only accomplished three other times in the past. The first was in 1983-84 when they finished dead last in the league and drafted Mario Lemieux the following summer. Next was in 1996-97 when they fired head coach Eddie Johnston late in the season and Craig Patrick took them to a first-round playoff loss. The most recent was in 2001-02 when they fired head coach Ivan Hlinka just four games ... Read More
Questions remain on defense for Pens
Throughout the Penguins offseason, most of the attention of the fans, the media and the front office was the team’s group of forwards. General manager Jim Rutherford took great strides forward in his second offseason with the club, bringing Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, Sergei Plotnikov, Eric Fehr and Matt Cullen to an already-talented group of forwards. What wasn’t addressed was the team’s defense. Through five preseason games, it seems that it may be an issue. They’ve given up 12 goals in the ... Read More
Mike Johnston fared well in debut season as Penguins coach
Mike Johnston fared about as well as expected as a rookie coach in the 2014–15 season. The numbers stack up well against other coaches debuts, while Johnston arguably faced greater challenges and adversity throughout the season, namely injury and salary cap woes. Of 12 NHL coaches, only five finished debut seasons with higher win percentages compared to a 0.598 win percentage by Johnston. Five of the 12, including Johnston, lost in the first round of the postseason, while only two advanced ... Read More
Pens will bring 53 players to camp on Thursday
After a long offseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins will step on to the ice for the first time in the 2015-16 season this week. It’s been the second consecutive offseason of change for the franchise. A year ago, the team completely restructured the front office and coaching staff. This offseason, the team has been put up for sale, opened a new practice facility and brought in 16 players – most notably, right-winger Phil Kessel -- that will be taking to the ice wearing a skating penguin for the ... Read More