Laviolette, Sullivan meet in 1st all-U.S. coaches Cup Final
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 Nashville Predators’ Peter Laviolette goes up against the Pittsburgh 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,” said USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean. “We have more coaches in our country than ever before, and two of our very best are in the final.”
Laviolette and Sullivan are among six U.S.-born coaches in the NHL as of today, along with the Blue Jackets’ John Tortorella, Red Wings’ Jeff Blashill, Devils’ John Hynes and Islanders’ Doug Weight, who recently had his interim tag removed for next season.
The pair are 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, from Franklin, Mass., and Sullivan, from Marshfield, Mass., grew up about an hour apart and are three years apart in age. Each coached the AHL’s Providence Bruins, served on Boston’s staff briefly, and won the Cup in their second NHL coaching stint.