When the dust settles, and the Sidney Crosby—Evgeni Malkin era comes to an end, December 12, 2015 should be a day that is remembered for a franchise-altering change.
Yes, it has been five years to the day that Mike Sullivan was named head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, bringing an end to the short-lived, but failed tenure of then-head coach, Mike Johnston.
The Penguins, just a measly 15-10-3 at that time, lacked direction, a true identity, and GM Jim Rutherford, never the one to sit on his hands, decided enough was enough.
Johnston departed Pittsburgh with a 58-37-15 record, and one playoff series to his resume, a 4-1 series loss to the New York Rangers.