Canucks Prez Jim Rutherford, Lightning HC and other NHL coaches make their feelings known about new Rangers HC Mike Sullivan

It took less than one week for Mike Sullivan to find a new home after parting ways with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The two-time Stanley Cup champion coach lasted four days on the open market before agreeing to become the next bench boss of the New York Rangers. It demonstrated how well respected he is around the NHL, viewed as an elite coach and a leader of men.

Now that everyone has started to digest that Sullivan is no longer in Pittsburgh and off to the Big Apple, other NHL coaches and executives have shared their thoughts on what makes him such a good coach.

Rangers columnist Arthur Staple wrote a piece for The Athletic where he asked Jim Rutherford, Jon Cooper and John Hynes about Mike Sullivan. He posted the link to the article on X (formerly Twitter).

"He brought three or four younger guys who’d been with him in the AHL as call-ups," Rutherford said. "He was familiar with them and he knew they could help us. And those guys — Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust, Tommy Kuhnhackl and eventually Matt Murray — they helped us win a Stanley Cup. Sully knows the value of every point, and he wants things done right away. But he also put those young players in position to succeed — not just that year but for years to come."

“The sign of a good coach, to me, is when the star players are playing super hard," Cooper said. "Sully got his star players in Pittsburgh to play hard, even years into his time there. For me, that’s a great sign, he’s got a lot of 'no bulls—' to him."

"With Sully, he’s really the whole package," Hynes said. "He’s well-prepared. He’s open to information. He wants opinions but does a good job cutting the fat off the bone and dialing in on what needs to be done. The teaching part, the motivational part, how he commands a room — I’ve been fortunate enough to know him a long time, see him in action, and it’s impressive to watch."

Mike Sullivan's contract with the New York Rangers is expected to come in at five years, and he will become the highest-paid coach in NHL history.

Mike Sullivan knows what it takes to win championships

Having coached prime Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, some may think Mike Sullivan had it easy in Pittsburgh, but that's not the case.

The Penguins were in flux before Sullivan's arrival, and he turned it around immediately. The 57-year-old shared a great quote during his introductory press conference with the Rangers when asked what it takes to win at the highest level. Talkin' Rangers shared his comments on X.

"As we all know, talent alone doesn't win championships," Sullivan said. "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."

The Rangers possess plenty of high-end talent. However, Mike Sullivan knows that they'll need to put in the work if they want to get the most out of that talent.