Penguins announce the hiring of Dan Muse as head coach
The Penguins have announced they have hired Dan Muse as the 23rd head coach in the franchise's history.
The 42-year-old Muse comes from the New York Rangers, where he spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach. Prior to the Rangers, he was an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators from 2017 to 2020.
"During this process, we met with many candidates who we felt would have been a fit as the next head coach of the Penguins, but ultimately, Dan Muse stood out as the best choice," Penguins President of Hockey Operations Kyle Dubas said in a release. "What separated Dan was his ability to develop players, win at all levels where he has been a head coach, and his consistent success coaching special teams in the NHL. From his success in developing college and junior players, to his impactful work with veteran players during his time in the NHL, Dan has shown a proven ability to connect with players at all stages of their careers and help them to reach their potential."
Along with experience at the NHL level, the Massachusetts native has won championships at multiple levels, including the NCAA, USHL, IIHF U18, and U20.
During his time with the Rangers and Predators, Muse ran the team's penalty kill. With Nashville, the team's penalty kill ranked fourth in the NHL in two years. He had the same role in New York, helping the team to the fourth-highest success rate.
Muse has also spent a lot of time with USA Hockey, acting as head coach at the National Team Development Program from 2020 to 2023. In 2023, he led the team to a gold medal at the 2023 World Under-18 Championship. That year, the team set a program record of 16 wins over NCAA opponents during the regular season.
During his time with the USA NTDP, he coached Penguins' prospect Rutger McGroarty.
On April 28, the Penguins announced that the team and Mike Sullivan had agreed to part ways after nine seasons. Sullivan left the team as the winningest coach with 409 regular-season wins, as well as being the bench boss for back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017.
Just days later, Sullivan was hired as the head coach of the New York Rangers.
Penguins fans ready for Dan Muse to get to work
On Wednesday, Penguins fans said Dan Muse is exactly what the team needs.
"I'm excited. I definitely wanted them to bring in somebody younger," fan Danny Mitchell said.
The toughest job Muse will have, according to fans, is bridging one generation of players with the next. Fans believe he's the right man for the job.
"A new regime in the city of Pittsburgh is probably what we need," fan Darin Bayles said. "We've held on to the same core for a while, which I'm OK with 'cause the core we had was really good, but it's time for something new."
