42-year-old will guide NHL team for 1st time, was Rangers assistant for 2 seasons
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Dan Muse was hired as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.
The 42-year-old replaces Mike Sullivan and will coach for the first time in the NHL. He was a New York Rangers assistant the past two seasons.
The Penguins were 34-36-12 and finished 11 points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, the third straight season they did not qualify, after qualifying for 16 straight seasons.
Muse coached USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for three seasons before joining Peter Laviolette’s staff with the Rangers. He was also a Nashville Predators assistant under Laviolette from 2017-20, led Chicago of the United States Hockey League to the 2017 Clark Cup and an assistant for the 2013 NCAA National Champion Yale Bulldogs.
“During this process, we met with many candidates who we felt would have been a fit as the next head coach of the Penguins, but ultimately, Dan Muse stood out as the best choice,” Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said. “What separated Dan was his ability to develop players, win at all levels where he has been a head coach and his consistent success coaching special teams in the NHL.
“From his success in developing college and junior players, to his impactful work with veteran players during his time in the NHL, Dan has shown a proven ability to connect with players at all stages of their careers and help them to reach their potential.”
Muse ran Nashville’s penalty killing unit, which ranked fourth in the NHL over his two full seasons (2017-19). He had the same role with the Rangers, guiding their penalty kill to fourth in the NHL in that span.
“Additionally, his leadership of special teams units at the NHL level in both Nashville and New York produced elite results consistently,” Dubas said. “His overall body of work, attention to detail and vision for our group showed us that he is the best coach to take our team forward. We’re excited to welcome Dan, and his family, to the city of Pittsburgh.”
The Boston Bruins ended the season with Joe Sacco as interim coach and are conducting a search for a permanent coach.
Lane Lambert was hired by the Seattle Kraken on May 29; Jeff Blashill by the Chicago Blackhawks on May 22; Rick Tocchet by the Philadelphia Flyers and Adam Foote by the Vancouver Canucks on May 14; Joel Quenneville by the Anaheim Ducks on May 8; and Sullivan by the Rangers on May 2.
