Sullivan: Rangers must become team in 'true sense of the word'
New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan is kicking off his tenure in the Big Apple with a clear directive.
"I know there's a lot talent in the dressing room, but as we all know, talent alone doesn't win championships," he said during his introductory news conference Thursday. "Teams win championships. I think that's going to be our challenge from Day 1, is to become a team in the true sense of the word. That was the challenge I think most organizations go through when they enter training camp every single year. We're no different in that regard."
He added, "We're gonna try to push these guys every day to maximize the potential that exists here. We'll see where that takes us."
The Rangers fired former bench boss Peter Laviolette in April after a shockingly underwhelming campaign in which they finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 39-36-7 record. They missed the playoffs by six points one year after winning the Presidents' Trophy and making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.
Sullivan was announced as Laviolette's replacement Friday.
Though Sullivan believes it would be irresponsible for him to comment on what went wrong in New York this season, he's deeply familiar with the Rangers after coaching against them for 10 years while running the Pittsburgh Penguins' bench.
New York eliminated the Penguins in seven games during the first round in 2022, which was Pittsburgh's last playoff appearance. The Rangers, meanwhile, made the conference finals twice in three years before missing out on the dance this spring.
"I've grown a ton of respect for the players that are in that room and the talent that they have," Sullivan said. "The opportunity to work with a group like that certainly excites me."
He added, "I think they've been knocking on the door to the Stanley Cup for a number of years now. Every time we've played against this group of players, they've been fierce battles."
Sullivan already has experience coaching a few of New York's star players thanks to the 4 Nations Face-Off. He served as head coach of Team USA at the February tournament, where the Americans lost to Canada in the final.
The Rangers were well-represented at the event, with Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, and Vincent Trocheck all donning the stars and stripes.
"What I learned is that they're fierce competitors, and they have an insatiable appetite to win," Sullivan said. "All you need to do is watch that tournament and you'll understand what I'm talking about. ... They want to win in the worst way, and those are the types of guys that I get excited about working with."
Rangers general manager Chris Drury said he "quickly and aggressively pursued" Sullivan once he was available. Sullivan was an assistant coach for the Rangers from 2009-13, a stretch that covered Drury's last two campaigns as captain.