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Pittsburgh Penguins hire Rangers assistant Dan Muse to replace Mike Sullivan as coach

Pittsburgh Penguins hire Rangers assistant Dan Muse to replace Mike Sullivan as coach

National Post2 days ago

The Pittsburgh Penguins are trying to navigate their way through the twilight of the Sidney Crosby era to the dawn of whatever comes next.
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It's a transition general manager Kyle Dubas has repeatedly said will not be easy, or particularly quick, and would require a coach who can connect with veterans while simultaneously developing young talent.
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Enter Dan Muse, who has spent the last two decades dabbling in the former and excelling in the latter.
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Dubas hired the 42-year-old Muse as Pittsburgh's coach on Wednesday, tasking the former New York Rangers assistant with helping the Penguins find their way back to relevance after three straight springs spent with their noses pressed to the glass while the Stanley Cup playoffs went on with them.
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Muse replaces Mike Sullivan, who split with Pittsburgh in April after a nearly decade-long tenure that included back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. The Rangers scooped up Sullivan in early May.
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Sullivan's departure was amicable. He even took out a billboard in Pittsburgh last week thanking the city. In New York, Sullivan will find a more experienced roster ready to win now.
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That won't be the case for Muse in Pittsburgh. The seventh of the eight coaching vacancies filled this offseason — Muse's hiring leaves the Boston Bruins as the only club still searching _ is walking into a job that will require patience, prodding and maybe a bit of politicking to thrive.
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Dubas said the team met with 'many candidates' before deciding on Muse, who has spent the last half-decade as an assistant at the NHL level. Muse also has a track record as a cultivator of talent and served as the head coach of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program from 2020-23.
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'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,' Dubas said. '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.'
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Muse has been part of coaching staffs that have won titles at multiple levels. He was an assistant at Yale when the Bulldogs claimed the NCAA championship in 2013. He served as the head coach for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League — the top junior league in the U.S. — when the Steel captured the Clark Cup in 2017 and helped the U.S. under-18 and under-20 teams win world titles.

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  • Globe and Mail

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Oilers better prepared for Panthers' physical play in this year's final: Knoblauch
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CTV News

time3 hours ago

  • CTV News

Oilers better prepared for Panthers' physical play in this year's final: Knoblauch

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