Penguins lock up Sullivan through 2023-24 season

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan agreed to a contract extension through the 2023-24 season on Friday. Sullivan's extension will begin after the 2019-20 campaign.

Sullivan has won two Stanley Cup titles since becoming Penguins coach in December 2015. "Mike has done a great job delivering four 100-plus-point seasons with our team," Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford said in a statement. "To win back-to-back Cups in this era speaks volumes of him as a coach. His instincts in managing the inter-workings of our team both on and off the ice have been impressive."

The 51-year-old Sullivan is 174-92-34 as coach of the Penguins with the club reaching the playoffs in all four seasons. Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017, making Sullivan the first American-born coach to win multiple Stanley Cups. The Penguins have won an NHL-best 38 playoff games during his tenure despite being swept in the first round of the 2019 playoffs by the New York Islanders.

"Mike has proven he is a tremendous leader for our team," Penguins team president and CEO David Morehouse said in a statement. "Our trust in him as a coach has continued to grow since winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in his first two years. Mike has a championship mindset and he is the right guy for our team, the organization and the city of Pittsburgh." Sullivan also coached the Boston Bruins from 2003-06, making the playoffs his first season before the 2004-05 campaign was cancelled due to the NHL lockout. He went 29-37-16 in his final season in Boston.

Before getting into coaching, Sullivan spent 11 seasons as a player and scored 136 points (54 goals, 82 assists) in 709 career games from 1991-2002.