Things are great for Mike Sullivan right now.
He's won a Stanley Cup, just signed a three-year contract extension and has the Penguins one point out of the overall NHL standings lead as they enjoy their CBA-mandated week off.
But what goes up must come down. Right? This might sound cynical, but we've seen this story before and, especially, in the transient business of professional hockey. That goes double for anyone coaching the Penguins, who have had precisely one bench boss last more than three consecutive seasons.
That man was Dan Bylsma, who made it five-plus before getting the boot. It doesn't take much effort to remember how revered Bylsma was when he took over a listing 2008-09 team in mid-February and promptly helped produce a Stanley Cup title.
Sullivan's story, to this point, seems quite similar. The coach he replaced was playing a style too conservative to suit the high-end talent on the roster, so Sullivan shifted them into gear, like Bylsma did seven years ago upon taking over for Michel Therrien.
The Bylsma Era came to a close in the spring of 2014, with conventional wisdom holding that his system became too predictable and that he couldn't make adequate adjustments in the playoffs. Actually, Jim Rutherford said as much when he hired Mike Johnston.
Sullivan passed many tests while spearheading the Penguins' fourth league championship — and he has won 74 of 116 games on the gig — but it remains to be seen if he can surpass Bylsma to become the longest-lasting coach in 50 years of franchise history.
One thing is certain: He will face many obstacles as the honeymoon phase ends.
Carl Hagelin has skated for big personalities like John Tortorella and Bruce Boudreau. He wasn't into comparing them to Sullivan, but he was willing to elaborate on what he appreciates out of his current coach.
Mike Sullivan treats his stars differently ... but still aims for fairness. — MATT SUNDAY / DKPS
He's won a Stanley Cup, just signed a three-year contract extension and has the Penguins one point out of the overall NHL standings lead as they enjoy their CBA-mandated week off.
But what goes up must come down. Right? This might sound cynical, but we've seen this story before and, especially, in the transient business of professional hockey. That goes double for anyone coaching the Penguins, who have had precisely one bench boss last more than three consecutive seasons.
That man was Dan Bylsma, who made it five-plus before getting the boot. It doesn't take much effort to remember how revered Bylsma was when he took over a listing 2008-09 team in mid-February and promptly helped produce a Stanley Cup title.
Sullivan's story, to this point, seems quite similar. The coach he replaced was playing a style too conservative to suit the high-end talent on the roster, so Sullivan shifted them into gear, like Bylsma did seven years ago upon taking over for Michel Therrien.
The Bylsma Era came to a close in the spring of 2014, with conventional wisdom holding that his system became too predictable and that he couldn't make adequate adjustments in the playoffs. Actually, Jim Rutherford said as much when he hired Mike Johnston.
Sullivan passed many tests while spearheading the Penguins' fourth league championship — and he has won 74 of 116 games on the gig — but it remains to be seen if he can surpass Bylsma to become the longest-lasting coach in 50 years of franchise history.
One thing is certain: He will face many obstacles as the honeymoon phase ends.
____________________
The stiffest challenge for Sullivan might not come from the opposition, at least as long as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are anywhere near peak form. As currently constructed and when healthy, the Penguins are going to cause significant matchup problems for any team.
However, a leader is not only tasked with ensuring outside threats are handled but also with keeping followers united. In fact, one could argue the primary function of a leader — whether it be a hockey coach, a CEO or a parent — is to get the best out of the group.
Sociologist James Burns called that optimization effort 'transformational leadership.' Under this model, the leader provides four 'factors' to followers: Idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration.
Western Michigan University's Peter Northouse wrote in the book 'Leadership: Theory and Practice' that Burns developed the transformational model to fit the needs of the "uncertain" modern workplace.
'Uncertain' also seems to aptly describe major professional sports.
"It’s a tough process, at times, and there’s a lot of pressure on everybody," Crosby said last week. "As players, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves and coaches are expecting to win."
In talking to several Penguins, Sullivan checks all the transformational boxes, but the results he has achieved in a little more than a year as coach speak loudly, too.
"It obviously helps, winning last year," said Conor Sheary, who has played for Sullivan in the American Hockey League and the NHL. "Guys kinda realize that it works. I think if we all stick to it, we have a chance to make a run again with the same kind of core group here. I think just the fact that we know it works and that everyone buys in, is important. It’s helped us win a lot here."
Eric Fehr, an NHL regular for nine seasons now, had a similarly simplistic view of what leads to longevity in hockey coaches.
"I think the easiest way to coach a long time is to make sure your team’s winning," he said, unable to hide a smirk. "I think that’s pretty much the only recipe. It’s a tough league. Things change in a hurry, but I can promise you that if your team’s winning, you’re going to have a job."
Still, one can't achieve consistent results without a repeatable process. And the process is what Sullivan will have to maintain in order to stay in gainful employment here.
1. Idealized influence
Maybe the most wonky-sounding of Burns' four factors, idealized influence simply means portraying an image that others want to emulate. Some might call this charisma. Others would call it role modeling.
At any rate, Sullivan's personality appears to collectively captivate the Penguins, and admiration for his integrity and fairness was a common thread among those I approached.
“I think guys want someone to have equal, mutual respect for," said Chris Kunitz, who has played for notable names like Mike Babcock, Randy Carlyle and Bylsma in 13 NHL seasons. "Things have changed. With the waves of younger guys, you have to coach a different way. So I think (it's) just his accountability that he preaches. The video doesn’t lie. He has things to look at, and he’s going to show it to anybody. I think guys take it honestly and to heart. It’s all about getting the team better and preparing the team to win every night."
Carl Hagelin has skated for big personalities like John Tortorella and Bruce Boudreau. He wasn't into comparing them to Sullivan, but he was willing to elaborate on what he appreciates out of his current coach.
"I think it’s always hard to compare coaches," Hagelin said. "Not something I’m going to sit down and talk about. I like 'Sully' a lot. He’s been great to me. ... He’s a guy that’s very detailed. He brings a lot of authority to the table, and when he speaks, you listen."
Honest criticism based on cold, hard facts might not seem like a terribly novel approach to leadership, but it goes a long way toward getting hockey players on board. So does maintaining one's comportment after a wildly successful first season in charge.
"I don’t think he’s changed very much," said Scott Wilson, comparing the Sullivan he knew in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with the current model. "He expects a lot, but he’s a fair guy, as well. I think all the guys here, especially the big guys here, respect that."
"Once you get success, it’s easy to become full of yourself and be the guy that says, ‘I know what I’m talking about. I’m not wrong,' " Ian Cole said. "And he’s still a guy you can talk to, or talk over points with. He might see one thing and you can say, ‘Well, I saw this thing.’ And you talk things through to get to common ground or get to realize one side or the other was right. Anytime you can talk to someone, like a man, one-on-one, and you don’t have to basically sit there and say, ‘Yes sir, yes sir, yes sir,’ it's really beneficial for a team to let off some steam."
Fehr didn't get into specifics, but he said the directness of Sullivan's communication earns his respect. Again, he didn't name any names, but his past NHL coaches include Boudreau, Claude Noël, Adam Oates and Barry Trotz.
“I just like coaches, generally, that are honest," Fehr said. "Some coaches around the league, they’ll play mind games with you. They’ll do different things. Sully’s definitely not one of those guys. He tells you how it is. The longer you’re around in this game, the more you appreciate the guys who are up-front with you."
Mike Sullivan treats his stars differently ... but still aims for fairness. — MATT SUNDAY / DKPS
2. Inspirational motivation
We've all seen the video of Sullivan yelling at Malkin to pipe down during the playoffs last spring.
As Kunitz told me last week, that's a representative microcosm of how Sullivan behaves on the bench, although much of the time his emotion is directed toward what Mike Emrick would call the 'third team' on the ice.
"He talks to the guys, talks to refs, talks to the linesmen, those types of things," Kunitz said. "By no means is he one of the hottest coaches I’ve played for, with some of the screamers we’ve had through the years. He’s a great mix of everybody, coaches that have been around a long time. Take a little bit from everybody, and I think he’s using that to his advantage and having success with it."
Sullivan's mix of primal and cerebral might not be unique in his profession, but Cole said it's refreshing enough to combat the 'here we go again' feeling that often occurs when a coach goes on a dressing room rant.
"He’s very good an enunciating what he wants to say," Cole said. "He’s very good at putting a coherent thought together that makes sense. He doesn’t always use the traditional lingo in the sense that he doesn’t need to swear at you to get his point across, or yell at you. I’m not saying he doesn’t, but he’s very good at enunciating what he’s trying to say in the lowest common denominator as far as vocabulary. It’s not like it’s hard to understand."
When we consider that Cole previously played for the notoriously hot-headed Ken Hitchcock with the Blues, his rave reviews of Sullivan make more sense.
"Hitchcock was most certainly a yeller," Cole said. "He was always yelling, all the time."
As Kunitz alluded to earlier, it's no longer adequate to simply scream to motivate. With the proliferation of video study in the sport at all levels, the modern player seeks the 'how' and the 'why' more than previously.
One look at Sullivan during a 2015 USA Hockey coaching symposium shows his teaching side at work:
“He has a lot of old-school tendencies in him, but I think he understands the game really well," Fehr told me. "With our video and stuff, he does a really good job of changing game to game. I think he sees the game really well."
Tactical acumen might be the aspect of Sullivan's style that stands out most to the best player in the world.
"As far as what he challenges us to do, it probably changes on who we play," Crosby said. "There are teams that are a little more physical. We’re not necessarily a physical team, but sometimes it takes a coach challenging you to bring that out of you. In a skilled game, if he thinks that we’re going to be tested defensively, it’s challenging us to make sure that we’re a better team defensively and don’t get caught up in a 6-4 game just because it’s convenient for us."
3. Intellectual stimulation
Obviously, this was partially covered in the previous two factors, but something else Crosby brought up regarding effective NHL coaching rang true throughout the room — and spoke to the importance of engaging the athlete's brain.
In order to keep the attention of an NHL team, Crosby said, there needs to be a certain amount of variety, even if the coach's messages remain consistent.
"It’s a long season, so it’s nice to have new ideas once in a while, and I think as a player, you get used to the routine, but it’s nice to have new things, new challenges," Crosby said. "I think all those things probably go into coaching a lot more behind the scenes, but I think as a player those are the things you look to."
It turns out the search for variety is at the front of mind for Sullivan and his assistants Rick Tocchet, Jacques Martin, Mike Bales and Sergei Gonchar.
"I think we like to keep things fresh," Sullivan said. "In our league, with how much time we spend at the rink and how many times we put our equipment on and take it off, there’s a fine line between repetition and monotony. Whether it be video meetings or how we practice, or the routines that we end up developing over time, this coaching staff believes in trying to guard against monotony, but also provide enough repetitions that give our players a chance to be successful."
Fehr said mixing it up can take on many forms, but it's especially critical in January and February, what he called "the dog days of winter."
“It’s always nice to come to the rink and be excited for different things," Fehr said. "Just try to take away some of the monotonous times of the season. It can become a bit of a drag throughout the year. To find different ways to be a little creative and get the guys excited, it definitely helps."
Hagelin appreciates the way Sullivan can swap between professor and motivator.
"I like a mix of vocal and visuals," he said. "I think he’s doing a good job of that. I think it’s pretty obvious how he wants you to play. If you play that way, you’re going to play a lot. If you don’t play that way, you’re not playing as much."
4. Individualized consideration
Sullivan has become known for the consistency of his message. He frequently says things like 'playing the right way,' 'getting on the right side of the puck,' and 'outplaying, not outscoring.'
This is all part of the establishment of expectations central to the transformational leadership model. As the theory goes, goals must be explicit in order for the group to rally behind them.
But, much like consistency of purpose can be enhanced through varying methods of delivery, the presence of different personalities and skill sets in a group dictate a diverse management. The difficulty is making sure the rank-and-file are OK with that.
“I think he’s really good at tailoring his message at who he’s talking to," Cole said. "Especially your big guns. I think he’s really good at asking Sid what he thinks, or asking Geno what he thinks. And Phil (Kessel) and Tanger and the guys on the team that are the leaders on our team. He’s good at asking them how certain situations should be handled, whatever the case may be."
Sheary seemed to hint that Sullivan gives his better players more leeway at this level than he did in the AHL. At the same time, his general defensive standards haven't slipped with the jump.
“I think definitely for the most part he gives freedom to the forwards to do what they want, but kind of make sure our instincts in the 'D' zone are good," Sheary said. "Our best offense is our defense. I think it’s kinda tough for him to coach at this level with the kind of skill we have in this room, but I think he’s handled that well, and he hasn’t changed for the most part."
“He lets you make your plays, and when things are going well, he really believes in you," Wilson added. "He’s not going to take the stick out of your hand. He likes to score goals and so do all of us, so it works out."
Crosby has seen five coaches in his 12 seasons with the Penguins, from Eddie Olczyk to Therrien to Bylsma to Johnston to Sullivan. The man with the inside track for a Maurice Richard Trophy described the shape-shifting he thinks a coach with staying power must display.
"You have to be able to adjust," he said. "I think each year is a different team. There’s different personalities and what makes one team tick is different from another."
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Sullivan's off to a fine start in that regard, although hurdles lie ahead. His leadership has transformed the Penguins but uncertainty remains a constant.
As a man who's worked for five NHL organizations, Sullivan is well aware of that reality. So, he'll put his focus outward.
"As a coach, we want to stay relevant," Sullivan said at that coaching symposium back in 2015, riffing off a common pitfall of the profession. "As a result, we want to let them know who's the boss."
He continued, quoting the so-called 'father of Russian hockey,' former Soviet Red Army coach Anatoli Tarasov.
"But it's the job of the coach to serve the players."
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