The Rise And Fall Of Mike Sullivan...

[Luigi Lemieux]

During the post-Cup Bylsma years Pittsburgh fans ate a lot of slop, that they feasted on nonetheless. The secret is...
...just keep feeding it to them. They will keep eating it and buying tickets, and merch, and remembering the good old days. If they start complaining, here's another disgusting helping of slop that you're going to chow down on boys and girls!

Pens were still an elite team back then, they were #1 in the NHL in points between 2010-2015. Just had some spectacular playoff failures. This is a far cry from that, they might actually be the worst team in the league.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Pens were still an elite team back then, they were #1 in the NHL in points between 2010-2015. Just had some spectacular playoff failures. This is a far cry from that, they might actually be the worst team in the league.

Not to mention we still made the playoffs back then too.

The “slop” back then was either injuries or shit goaltending

 

[Turin]

Pens were still an elite team back then, they were #1 in the NHL in points between 2010-2015. Just had some spectacular playoff failures. This is a far cry from that, they might actually be the worst team in the league.

Yea would you rather be perennially the best offensive team in the NHL with star players in their prime, or bottom of the East with the worst defense in the NHL and all your core players are almost 40? Lol.

 

[PAZ]

Word was that Sid and the gang (Malkin and Letang) wanted Sullivan back for one last dance if they were to sign and stay like they did a couple of years ago.

Makes sense if the core wanted him back, there's very few players that have as much influence over a team as Sid does.

 

[Ignatius]

Pens were still an elite team back then, they were #1 in the NHL in points between 2010-2015. Just had some spectacular playoff failures. This is a far cry from that, they might actually be the worst team in the league.

Forgive me, my issues have to do more with this organization's abject refusal to change despite what is so glaringly obvious to all.

I look at what teams like Washington and Minnesota are doing this year, all things considered, and wonder why Pittsburgh could not have put themselves in a better position over the course of the past several years. I get that we are not contenders but we should also not be an embarrassment.

 

[BallardEra]

They could be second last in the Conference after tonight.

 

[BallardEra]

Two points from the bottom of the NHL basement.

Sullivan still calm, cool and collected.

 

[PaulD]

Two points from the bottom of the NHL basement.

Sullivan still calm, cool and collected.

View attachment 935911

Those three teams will pass the Pens
. Unintentional Tank - Kyle Dubas & Mike Sullivan

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Those three teams will pass the Pens
. Unintentional Tank - Kyle Dubas & Mike Sullivan

Pens have a -34 gd, by far the worst in the league. 32nd place is only a matter of time.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Pens have a -34 gd, by far the worst in the league. 32nd place is only a matter of time.

They deserve every bit of this mess for anchoring themselves to Sullivan quite honestly.

And arrogantly refusing to change.

 

[BallardEra]

Canucks looked pretty bad last night against Boston.

Easy two points for Sullivan tonight.

 

[BallardEra]

Analyzing how the Pittsburgh Penguins have fallen

On course to miss the playoffs for a third straight season, the Penguins are at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division and not close to being competitive. Adam Vingan dives into the numbers to see what's wrong with the Penguins.

www.sportsnet.ca

 

[tnnr]

That roster is just awfull and so badly build& has been for some time

But the coach is the easiest one to blame in Pitt instead of going after the real issues

Dubas has set that team back so much already

how exactly has dubas set them back?

 

[BB88]

how exactly has dubas set them back?

Short answer?

They have the worst looking future in the league and roster that has zero chance at competing now

Dubas said when he got the job that he wants to build for the future and be able to compete at the same time


& as I said currently they are pretty much in the worst shape in the league and the next 8-10 years are looking painfully rough for them

 

[PaulD]

They deserve every bit of this mess for anchoring themselves to Sullivan quite honestly.

And arrogantly refusing to change.

This !

 

[BallardEra]

how exactly has dubas set them back?

They are 2 points from last place in the entire league.

Signing Jarry, Reaves, the trade for Karlsson and other moves have been the wrong ones.

This isn't rocket science.

 

[bobholly39]

If they fired him tomorrow morning - I'd literally go out and place a $100 bet that Penguins win the cup this season. I could see it happen.

This makes absolutely no sense.

You don't even have to blame him or to call him a bad coach- you can blame the players if you want. Call Crosby, Malkin & co a bunch of spoiled babies who can't be coached if you need to and who have given up on yet another coach. But this Pittsburgh core has reacted better to coaching changes than pretty much any other hockey core in the league in the past 20 years. Multiple times, Pittsburgh brought in a new coach when things weren't clicking, and right away Crosby/Malkin & Pitt end up contending for Cup and having a huge improvement in year 1.

Why wouldn't you try that again?

2006 season - Pens are bottom feeders....bring in Therrien. Pens go from 2nd to last in league, to a team playing 23 games above 500 the next season.

2009 - Bylsma hired mid-season, despite Pitt being a cup finalist, shocking move....and they go on to finish the season with an 18-3 record, and win the cup in year 1.

2016 - Pittsburgh going nowhere, Crosby sucking...Mike Sullivan comes in, and Crosby is back to a Ross/Hart contender, Pittsburgh make playoffs, win cup, and do it again the next year.

That's 3 coaches with extremely significant impact in year 1 in the Crosby/Malkin era.

Why wouldn't Pittsburgh try that again?

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

If they fired him tomorrow morning - I'd literally go out and place a $100 bet that Penguins win the cup this season. I could see it happen.

This makes absolutely no sense.

You don't even have to blame him or to call him a bad coach- you can blame the players if you want. Call Crosby, Malkin & co a bunch of spoiled babies who can't be coached if you need to and who have given up on yet another coach. But this Pittsburgh core has reacted better to coaching changes than pretty much any other hockey core in the league in the past 20 years. Multiple times, Pittsburgh brought in a new coach when things weren't clicking, and right away Crosby/Malkin & Pitt end up contending for Cup and having a huge improvement in year 1.

Why wouldn't you try that again?

2006 season - Pens are bottom feeders....bring in Therrien. Pens go from 2nd to last in league, to a team playing 23 games above 500 the next season.

2009 - Bylsma hired mid-season, despite Pitt being a cup finalist, shocking move....and they go on to finish the season with an 18-3 record, and win the cup in year 1.

2016 - Pittsburgh going nowhere, Crosby sucking...Mike Sullivan comes in, and Crosby is back to a Ross/Hart contender, Pittsburgh make playoffs, win cup, and do it again the next year.

That's 3 coaches with extremely significant impact in year 1 in the Crosby/Malkin era.

Why wouldn't Pittsburgh try that again?

Because as Therrien would say, “‘dey ‘don care..”

 

[BallardEra]

If they fired him tomorrow morning - I'd literally go out and place a $100 bet that Penguins win the cup this season. I could see it happen.

There is no way it happens with this team. Back then the core players were much younger.

They are now 37-38 years old with no good young pieces around to help them.

 

[Protas Zealots]

Just fire him lol, whatever SA scandal he's blackmailing them with can't be worse than the fallout from the team being this bad

 

[benfranklin]

how exactly has dubas set them back?

Karlsson def didnt help. Everyone and their mother saw the Sharks Norris season being chaos all offense and no defense. Bringing him in while keeping Letang was a head scratcher. Obviously he wouldnt be allowed to play that recklessly in Pit.

 

[PaulD]

If they fired him tomorrow morning - I'd literally go out and place a $100 bet that Penguins win the cup this season. I could see it happen.

This makes absolutely no sense.

You don't even have to blame him or to call him a bad coach- you can blame the players if you want. Call Crosby, Malkin & co a bunch of spoiled babies who can't be coached if you need to and who have given up on yet another coach. But this Pittsburgh core has reacted better to coaching changes than pretty much any other hockey core in the league in the past 20 years. Multiple times, Pittsburgh brought in a new coach when things weren't clicking, and right away Crosby/Malkin & Pitt end up contending for Cup and having a huge improvement in year 1.

Why wouldn't you try that again?

2006 season - Pens are bottom feeders....bring in Therrien. Pens go from 2nd to last in league, to a team playing 23 games above 500 the next season.

2009 - Bylsma hired mid-season, despite Pitt being a cup finalist, shocking move....and they go on to finish the season with an 18-3 record, and win the cup in year 1.

2016 - Pittsburgh going nowhere, Crosby sucking...Mike Sullivan comes in, and Crosby is back to a Ross/Hart contender, Pittsburgh make playoffs, win cup, and do it again the next year.

That's 3 coaches with extremely significant impact in year 1 in the Crosby/Malkin era.

Why wouldn't Pittsburgh try that again?

Have been saying and pointing out same since 2020

 

[Jyrki]

If they fired him tomorrow morning - I'd literally go out and place a $100 bet that Penguins win the cup this season. I could see it happen.

This makes absolutely no sense.

You don't even have to blame him or to call him a bad coach- you can blame the players if you want. Call Crosby, Malkin & co a bunch of spoiled babies who can't be coached if you need to and who have given up on yet another coach. But this Pittsburgh core has reacted better to coaching changes than pretty much any other hockey core in the league in the past 20 years. Multiple times, Pittsburgh brought in a new coach when things weren't clicking, and right away Crosby/Malkin & Pitt end up contending for Cup and having a huge improvement in year 1.

Why wouldn't you try that again?

2006 season - Pens are bottom feeders....bring in Therrien. Pens go from 2nd to last in league, to a team playing 23 games above 500 the next season.

2009 - Bylsma hired mid-season, despite Pitt being a cup finalist, shocking move....and they go on to finish the season with an 18-3 record, and win the cup in year 1.

2016 - Pittsburgh going nowhere, Crosby sucking...Mike Sullivan comes in, and Crosby is back to a Ross/Hart contender, Pittsburgh make playoffs, win cup, and do it again the next year.

That's 3 coaches with extremely significant impact in year 1 in the Crosby/Malkin era.

Why wouldn't Pittsburgh try that again?

Might as well just give $100 to HF for server upkeep.

There's no way you can look at Crosby/Malkin's age, see the rest of the lineup and think they're one coach away from a deep run.

 

[tnnr]

Karlsson def didnt help. Everyone and their mother saw the Sharks Norris season being chaos all offense and no defense. Bringing him in while keeping Letang was a head scratcher. Obviously he wouldnt be allowed to play that recklessly in Pit.

The Karlsson trade allowed them to get rid of bad contracts, he was gotten for essentially nothing. That was not a bad trade in a vaccum