Pittsburgh Hockey Insider has no direct affiliation to the Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL or NHLPA
J.T. Miller Shares his Thoughts on Rangers' New Coach Mike Sullivan
Former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan is now with the New York Rangers, and forward J.T. Miller is sharing his thoughts on the hire.
The New York Rangers have their man, hiring Mike Sullivan to replace the terminated Peter Laviolette as head coach.
Sullivan had recently been let go by the Pittsburgh Penguins, whom he had coached for nearly 10 full years and led to consecutive Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017. But after 3 straight years without a playoff appearance, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas felt a change area needed.
Meanwhile, Rangers GM Chris Drury felt the same after his own club missed the playoffs; he acted swiftly and hired Sullivan when he became available.
Sullivan will have the chance to coach Rangers forward J.T. Miller, whom he oversaw as head coach of the American squad in the 4 Nations Faceoff in February. Miller is looking forward to the opportunity to thrive under Sullivan, who gives straight answers and is up front.
I remember when I needed a straight answer, he's the guy. It's a hard game to give those answers sometimes. He's been very straightforward with me.
Very direct. That helps my game. I have time to not think about hockey right now, but I'm looking forward to getting to know him.
He has nothing but good things to say about his time with Sullivan at the 4 Nations, and believes that his presence with benefit both parties.
He's a great person. I think it's obviously a little looser there than it would be over an 82-game schedule, but he's a great guy. I haven't heard a single bad thing about him. On the coaching front, I just have the utmost respect for him, his resume, his career and what he's been able to accomplish.
I'm really looking forward to working with him. I have so much respect for what he's done in this game. I think it'll be a good fit.
Miller will be entering his 1st full year of his 2nd tenure with the Rangers; he was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks following a highly publicized rift with teammate Elias Pettersson.
| POLL | ||
MAI 13 | 123 ANSWERS J.T. Miller Shares his Thoughts on Rangers' New Coach Mike Sullivan Can Mike Sullivan lead the Rangers back to the playoffs in 2026? | ||
| Yes | 69 | 56.1 % |
| No | 54 | 43.9 % |
| List of polls | ||