Back to the Pittsburgh Penguins Newsfeed

Looking back at the first six years of the Mike Sullivan era

It was six years ago Sunday that the Pittsburgh Penguins put an end to the Mike Johnston era and began the Mike Sullivan era.

The Penguins are in a very different place today than they were at that time.

Back in December of 2015 the Penguins were on the outside of the NHL playoff picture and stumbling through a phase of mediocrity where expectations plummeted. The year before the Penguins needed a win in the last game of the regular season to clinch a playoff spot, that was followed by a First Round exit. Then they came out to start the next season by struggling to score goals and just looking like a team whose best days were behind it.