Advertisement

Coaches from U.S. face off in Cup final

 
Sullivan
Sullivan
Published May 28, 2017

Hockey history will be made for American coaches in the Stanley Cup final.

The Cup has been handed out 89 times to the champion of the NHL since 1927. For the first time, two American coaches will face off in the final when the Predators' Peter Laviolette goes up against the Penguins' Mike Sullivan.

It's just the seventh time the Cup will be won by a U.S.-born coach.

"Having two American coaches lead their team in the Stanley Cup final highlights the continued growth and evolution of the sport in our country," USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean said.

Laviolette and Sullivan are among six U.S.-born current coaches in the NHL, along with the Blue Jackets' John Tortorella (who had Sullivan, 49, on his staff when he coached the Lightning), Red Wings' Jeff Blashill, Devils' John Hynes and Islanders' Doug Weight.

The pair is already on the exclusive list of U.S. coaches to win the Cup: Bill Stewart with the Blackhawks in 1938, "Badger" Bob Johnson with the Penguins in 1991, Tortorella with the Lightning in 2004, Laviolette with the Hurricanes in 2006, Dan Bylsma with the Penguins in 2009 and Sullivan with the Penguins last year.

Every other Cup-winning coach is Canadian.

Laviolette isn't thinking about it as a special occasion.

"Not really," said Laviolette, 52. "Sully's a good coach. I know him, but it's not about that. It's about the Stanley Cup. It's about two teams playing."

Laviolette, from Franklin, Mass., and Sullivan, from Marshfield, Mass., grew up about an hour apart.

As recently as November, an online sportsbook had Laviolette listed at 13-2 odds as the first coach fired when the Predators lost eight of their first 11 games. Now he and Sullivan are facing off for hockey's biggest prize.

"It's fun to see," Ogrean said. "The only unfortunate thing is that only one of them can win."

NAVAL ACADEMY GAME: The Capitals and Maple Leafs will play an outdoor game at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on March 3, according to reports. The site, 34,000-seat Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, hosts Navy football games.