Thank you, Mike Sullivan.
That was Joe Starkey’s overall message for the now departed Pittsburgh Penguins Head Coach on Monday.
The Pens have only won one playoff series since winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 and haven’t made the playoffs the past three years.
But Sullivan is a huge part of the Penguins’ last two championships.
Starkey reminded people on Monday afternoon just how bad things were right before Sullivan arrived.
After Mike Johnston was fired, the Penguins seemed lifeless and many were asking if the Crosby, Malkin, Letang window had closed.
But Sullivan came in, instituting a speed system that overwhelmed people.
“And the Penguins wound up winning two straight Stanley Cups,” said Starkey. “Nobody could win two-in-a-row anymore except when they came along and a lot of that had to do with Mike Sullivan.”
Listen to Starkey’s segment above to be reminded how important Sullivan was to the Big Three getting it’s second and third Cups.