Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan is only the 15th head coach in NHL history to win 400 games with a single franchise. Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman is the only person to achieve this feat with two clubs.
Meanwhile, Sullivan is on the list with multiple Stanley Cup titles, something not all the coaches ahead of him have on their resumes.
Winning championships usually adds a layer of protection to a coach's tenure, as proven by the fact that Sullivan is wrapping up his first losing season behind the Penguins bench, eight seasons after winning his last championship.
Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule: Remaining Games & Statistical NotesThe Pittsburgh Penguins are winding down their 2024-25 season and will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season, a first in Sidney Crosby's 20-year career. However, there is plenty to play for in the final weeks.
Moreover, the team will not play for the third consecutive campaign in the postseason, a first in Sidney Crosby's 20-year career.
How many other head coaches have won over 400 games with a single franchise and survived three years without qualifying for the playoffs?
Two, with the list expanding to three when Sullivan joins the list on Thursday night.
Who are these other coaches?
Lindy Ruff was the first coach to achieve this feat during his first term with the Buffalo Sabres, which lasted from 1997 to 2013. During his first four seasons, the Sabres made the playoffs, advancing to the 1998 Stanley Cup Final.
Congratulations to Mike Sullivan on becoming the 14th head coach in NHL history - and ninth fastest - to win 400 games with a single franchise 🙌
— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) March 9, 2025
Sullivan is the only American-born head coach to accomplish the feat. pic.twitter.com/pi9vTjKcxR
However, the club missed the playoffs in 2002, 2003, and 2004 before advancing to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2006 and 2007. After that, Buffalo missed the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 and again in 2012 and 2013 when the team fired Ruff just 17 games into the 2012-13 season.
The other name on the list is Barry Trotz, who is an exception to the rule but still missed the playoff for five straight seasons before leading the Nashville Predators to appearances in seven of the next ten seasons.
Trotz was the first coach in Predators history, inheriting an expansion roster in 1999, and didn't have a winning season until his sixth season in 2003-04, the year Nashville qualified for the playoffs for the first time.
After the lockout, Nashville chased the Stanley Cup in 2006, 2007, and 2008 before missing out on the postseason in 2009. Trotz led them back to the dance in 2010, 2011, and 2012 before missing in 2013 and 2014 and was relieved of his duties that summer.
Penguins' Rakell Is One Point Shy Of Franchise RecordPittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell, born in Sundbyberg, Sweden, set a new career high with his 35th goal on Sunday against the Boston Bruins.
Of course, many Hall of Fame-Stanley Cup-winning coaches have missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons. However, the list of those head coaches who have survived three successive missed postseasons is slim.
Interestingly, Claude Julien almost made the list. When he became head coach of the Boston Bruins in 2007-08, he guided them to the playoffs every season, winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.
He brought the Bruins back to the Final in 2013, but by 2015, Boston was not the same powerhouse. They missed the postseason for three straight seasons in 2015, 2016, and 2017. However, the team fired Julien after 55 games in 2017, and he ended up with the first-place Montreal Canadiens.
Even though the Bruins missed the playoffs three straight years, that third year was under two different coaches.
Congrats to Penguins coach Mike Sullivan on his 44th playoff win, the most in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/zalLUXQfYR
— PittsburghHockey.net (@PghHockey) May 10, 2022
Ultimately, this conversation brings us back to Sullivan, who is about to become the third 400-win coach (with one franchise) in NHL history not to guide his team to the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
What, if anything, will this mean for Suulivan's future with the Penguins, who are about to start their third straight offseason earlier than expected?