“I’ll bring everything I can to the table every day to help this team win until such time when someone tells me otherwise.” And after 10 years of storied leadership, which saw him lead the Penguins to 2 of the 3 Stanley Cup wins in their history, the Mike Sullivan era has finally come to an end. It’s an emotional time for the Penguins base. After all, what a legacy the head coach has built. Winning franchise-record 409 games, the 57-year-old has set the bar so high that even he has become a victim of his own success. But how are the Pittsburgh players reacting to the new normal?

Center Kevin Hayes was a guest on Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonette’s Spittin’ Chiclets podcast. And they got candid about a lot of things, including what the Pittsburgh center’s thoughts were on the Mike Sullivan exit. Hayes’ reply to Whitney’s question was simple: “It’s tough to see Sully go.” Not just you, Hayes. That’s the whole Penguins community right now.

As a coach, he has earned every bit of respect there is to earn. And it’s all because of the way he went about his business. “He’s a great coach, super honest, he demands a lot.” And these traits have defined what Mike Sullivan is as a coach. So much so that it was reflected right back to the first interaction he had with the Penguins roster 10 years ago.

“Mike came in and made it pretty clear how he wanted us to play, what he expected from each individual guy,” captain Sidney Crosby told ESPN in June 2016. This was right after they had won the first of the back-to-back Stanley Cups. And as for being demanding, well, the 57-year-old head coach is passionate, and he wants nothing less from his players. “We pushed these guys each and every day to be at their best, and they responded the right way every time,” said Sullivan back then.

And it has been his signature approach. “Discipline in all of its forms is what makes a team hard to play against”. This kind of pragmatic approach, while also keeping a fast tempo, ensured the Penguins didn’t miss the playoffs during his tenure till 2022. So, it will be a difficult reset, no doubt, for the Pittsburgh squad. But what about Mike Sullivan’s future? “I’m sure he’ll find a job pretty quickly, if that’s the route he wants to go,” said Hayes.

The 32-year-old has been with the Penguins for about a year. In June 2024, he traded in from the St. Louis Blues. So, he didn’t want to give the idea that he knew it all about working with the ex-Bruins coach. “I’m sure you would get better intel from other guys but, uh, tough to see him go.”

And veteran or not, Sidney Crosby has the same sentiment about parting ways with his long-time coach.

Sidney Crosby honors Mike Sullivan’s ‘methodical’ impact at Pittsburgh

Just around the time the Podcast came out, NHL Network’s twitter handle also released the Penguins captain’s official statement on Mike Sullivan’s exit. It is a big decision, no doubt. General manager Kyle Dubas said it’s a change to freshen things up: “Sometimes the class needs a new professor. And sometimes the professor needs a new class.”

But make no mistake, the Penguins know their now ex-coach’s insurmountable contribution. And Crosby’s words echoed the respect clearly: “He (Mike Sullivan) 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.”

Sidney Crosby has always been a supporter of Sullivan’s methods. And he has even previously made it known. “Everyone has their own [coaching] identity, but with him accountability is a big thing.” Accountability is a key thing in team sports. Without it, you have a disjointed bunch of people, doesn’t matter how talented they are. And this is exactly what he addressed when he came to Pittsburgh.

“I told them, ‘Look around this room: We’ve got some great players, and our challenge is to become a great team. That’s how you win championships,’” Sullivan had shared with ESPN in 2016. His words worked like clockwork. After all, he knows what he’s doing. Crosby had said what’s important to Sullivan: “He’s very detailed when it comes to being responsible, being accountable, little things like being on time. He really pays a lot of attention to that and that’s important, as far as discipline and that’s helped us.”

Of course, we have history as proof of that. Yes, maybe things didn’t fall into place for the last couple of seasons, but they had a great period together. Sustained success. “We shared some great memories together, and I am grateful for his time here and everything he did for us,” wrote Crosby in his statement.

Both the Penguins and Mike Sullivan start new journeys, like they started in 2015, but now separated.