“Grateful for his time here,” Sidney Crosby makes his feelings known following exit of Mike Sullivan as Penguins head coach

The Pittsburgh Penguins fired Mike Sullivan as the head coach of the team after a decade-long stay, as the team missed the playoffs again this year.

“Grateful for his time here,” Sidney Crosby makes his feelings known following exit of Mike Sullivan as Penguins head coach

Mike Sullivan and Sidney Crosby (Image via Yardbarker/Imago)

On Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a massive announcement and informed about parting ways with head coach Mike Sullivan. Following his departure, team captain Sidney Crosby would make his feelings known regarding this and expressed gratitude towards Sullivan.

This big decision from the Penguins came after they once again failed to make it to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Their 34-36-12 record saw them finish 7th in the Metropolitan Division standings. This marked a third straight season where they had missed out on the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Earlier in the season, team General Manager Kyle Dubas issued a stern warning to the players. The GM expressed that the team was open to trading every player except for their captain, Sidney Crosby.

Sullivan’s tenure, which started in December 2015, saw the Penguins go back-to-back in 2016 and 2017 and win the Stanley Cup finals against the San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators, respectively. Crosby lifted his 2nd and 3rd Stanley Cups while playing under Sullivan.

Following his exit, the Penguins’ captain addressed the situation through an email. In that, the 37-year-old recounted his time with Sullivan and seemed grateful for his guidance over the years.

He did an amazing job over the last 10 years here with his preparation and commitment to winning. Personally, he pushed me to be better everyday, and I learned a lot from him. We shared some great memories together, and I am grateful for his time here and everything he did for us.

Sidney Crosby said through an email

This past season, there had been some rumors regarding the future of Crosby as well. Before the start of the season, he signed a contract extension. However, the performance of the team leading to some trade rumors regarding him popping up.

Penguins GM Kyle Dubas admits speaking to Sidney Crosby before exit of Mike Sullivan as head coach

The almost decade-long era of Mike Sullivan at the Pittsburgh Penguins came to an end on Monday. Following the departure of the American coach, team General Manager Kyle Dubas addressed the media. In this, he admitted that he spoke to Sidney Crosby before the exit of Sullivan.

Kyle Dubas, Mike Sullivan and Sidney Crosby
Kyle Dubas, Mike Sullivan and Sidney Crosby (Image via YouTube/Sports Illustrated/Imago)

As the captain of the team, GM Dubas informed Crosby about the management’s decision to part ways with Sullivan. In the press conference, Dubas expressed that he had to do what is best for the Penguins organization.

I called Sid yesterday morning before I met with Sully to give him the heads up… I had a five-minute conversation with him about the fact that we were going through this to make a change, and we didn’t get into the ins and outs of it.

Kyle Dubas said in the press conference

Sullivan coached the team for a total of 753 regular-season games. During this, he finished with a 409-255-89 record. He is the winningest coach in the Penguins’ history and is just the 14th coach to win 400 or more games with one single franchise.

Former NHL star predicts Mike Sullivan’s top 5 destinations after exit from Penguins

The 2025-26 season will feature a new head coach in the Pittsburgh Penguins after the departure of Mike Sullivan. While the Penguins have started the search for a new coach, Sullivan will also start looking to new opportunities. A former NHL star has predicted his top 5 destinations after the end of an era in Pittsburgh.

Mike Sullivan
Mike Sullivan (Image via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

During ESPN’s coverage of the NHL, former NHLer P.K. Subban named some teams whom he thinks are the best fit for Sullivan. He started by ranking the Seattle Kraken in 5th, and then placed the Boston Bruins in 4th, the Philadelphia Flyers in 4th while adding the Anaheim Ducks at 2nd.

Subban’s top destination for Sullivan was the New York Rangers. The 2023-24 Presidents’ Trophy winners recently parted ways with head coach Peter Laviolette after the team had a disappointing 2024-25 campaign and missed the playoffs. Given his experience, Subban picked the Rangers as the top place for Sullivan.

Prior to his 10-year stay in Pittsburgh, Sullivan coached the Boston Bruins in 2003. In his first year, the team finished with a 41-19-15-7 record, top of the Northeast Division. However, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. After the lockout, he and his team struggled and ended the 2005-06 season with a 29-37-16 record, finishing bottom of the division, resulting in him being fired.

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