KINGSTON, Mass. — George Sullivan recalled one of the first interviews his son Mike gave after being named head coach of the Penguins in December 2015. Asked who had the biggest influence on his career, Mike cited Dave King and Jack Parker, two of his former coaches.
Mike Sullivan did not include his dad.
Then got a sizable — and humorous — earful about it.
“I said to him, ‘Where did Jack Parker and Dave King come from?’” George recalled Wednesday afternoon at The Bog Ice Arena, where the Sullivans brought the Stanley Cup.
“Who the hell drove you to the rinks? I know Jack Parker wasn’t there. He was still sleeping.”
To Mike Sullivan’s credit, he’s a quick learner. The next interview George saw, Mike thanked his dad. Looking back now, it turned out to be one of the few times in Mike Sullivan’s tenure with the Penguins that he did not include George in something.
During the past two Cup runs, George Sullivan, 80, has lived with Mike and his wife, Kate, refusing to leave until the day after the Cup parade. He has his own room in Mike’s house and a routine to go with it. Kate even cooks specific meals for George.
On off days, Mike and George have cigars, play cribbage and drink beer, chatting about hockey and the Boston Red Sox.
George hardly is shy with coaching tips, and Mike loves messing with his dad, trying to screw with his daily routine on purpose “just to keep him on his toes.”
But practical jokes aside, it’s an airtight relationship that has somehow gotten even better as the Penguins have played four months of playoff hockey over the past two seasons, both times enjoying storybook endings.
“To have the opportunity to share everything with him, plus the fact that we’ve won back-to-back championships, it’s just amazing,” Mike Sullivan said. “I couldn’t be happier to share it with him as some sort of small thank you for everything that he’s done for me over the years.”
Intense as ever
George Sullivan worked as a controller (bank executive) for State Street Corporation for 40 years and retired about a decade ago, choosing to spend winters in Bonita Springs, Fla.
In February 2015, however, George’s wife of more than 50 years, Myrna, passed away at age 78. George said he would have rather stayed in Florida — he hates the cold — but Mike insisted the next spring that George join him for the Penguins’ 2016 playoff run.
After a year of experiencing playoff hockey firsthand, George was hooked. This past spring, he told anyone who would listen that he wasn’t leaving until the day after the Stanley Cup parade.
“Mike said I put a lot of pressure on him,” George said. “But I don’t buy it.”
No, the meat grinder of an NHL season does that, especially when you’re the head coach.
Mike said it’s natural to feel the weight of the world on his shoulders after a loss, but having his dad around has lessened the sting.
Not that Mike, who’s 8 for 8 in playoff series with the Penguins, has experienced a ton of that.
“It’s such an emotional roller-coaster when you’re going through the playoffs, especially as the head coach, because you feel responsible,” Mike said. “To have someone like my dad and my family in particular to unwind and sometimes just to get away from it for a little bit is helpful to me.
“I think it helps me re-energize and bring the right mindset to the rink every day to try and help the team move forward.”
But there’s only so much relaxing one Sullivan can do, and that’s probably George’s fault.
Mike said his competitive fire is directly attributable to his dad, which dates to the days of George coaching Mike in youth sports.
It’s known through Mike’s hometown, too, from his days as an NHL player to when he would come back to the local rink to join in a community tournament. No matter the stakes, Mike hates to lose.
“He coached me and my brothers in all of our sports, not just hockey,” said Mike, who’s the second-youngest of five. “I remember when he coached me in baseball. He was always just a real competitive guy. I think all of my brothers and myself … he’s passed that trait onto us, just as far as him being a fierce competitor.”
‘I like Mark Recchi’
George Sullivan arrived for public Cup viewing a little before noon Wednesday, pulled up a seat near where his son was signing autographs and later posed for a couple of pictures.
The person taking the picture told the elder Sullivan to smile.
“He is smiling,” Mike shouted from across the room. “That’s what it looks like.”
The back-and-forth between father and son is omnipresent. One example involves George’s love of routine. His mornings consist of a shower and specific breakfast choices — bacon and eggs or Cheerios.
Mike finds this funny and loves either teasing his dad or somehow disrupting George’s routine.
“He’s just particular with everything that he does,” Mike said. “I always get a kick out of it. I play around with it just to give him a hard time.”
It’s also not one-sided. Dad is just as willing to give son grief, ultimately to ensure he stays humble.
“We go back and forth,” George said. “Sometimes he gives me an A-plus. Other times, he says, ‘What are you talking about?’
“Sometimes, he even listens to me when I talk.”
Mike does when it comes to hockey, although he doesn’t get much of a choice. George Sullivan does know what he’s talking about, his son will admit, but he’s also not shy about offering suggestions.
To the guy who has won the past two Stanley Cup titles.
“He was my first coach, and he’s still coaching me,” Mike said. “He’s a hot ticket. He’s never afraid to share his opinion. My response is, ‘You know what, Dad? We have a pretty good coaching staff. We got it together.’”
Much of what George suggests is obvious. Things such as playing Sidney Crosby a lot or keeping Jake Guentzel with him. Maybe that he liked Evgeni Malkin’s line on a particular night.
“That’s always fun when he does that,” Mike said. “He’ll say, ‘I like that combination.’ Or, ‘Geez, that line was good last night. You should keep them together.’ I just say, ‘OK, thanks dad.’”
George’s latest bit of commentary wasn’t a suggestion, more a stamp of approval on one of his son’s offseason moves.
“He hired Mark Recchi as an assistant coach,” George said. “I told him, ‘That was a good pick. I like Mark Recchi.’ ”
Bond strong as ever
In between head-coaching stints at the NHL level, Mike was an assistant under John Tortorella with three franchises, then worked in the Chicago Blackhawks player development system.
Like anybody else in his shoes, Mike wanted to get back at it but needed the right opportunity. There were times, of course, where Mike would get discouraged. George’s support never wavered.
“I kept telling him, ‘Don’t give up. It’s coming.’ He waited and waited,” George said.
Now?
George was the one waiting at Sullivan’s home Thursday, as Mike welcomed guests to his Stanley Cup party. There were custom-made Penguins beer koozies, cornhole boards with the organization’s five Cup-winning years marked, live entertainment, Mike’s own Penguins-themed Guinness beer tap and a slew of guests ready to celebrate all “Sully” has accomplished.
“He’s a great kid,” George said. “He wasn’t getting his just due. Now it’s all caught up to him. Two Stanley Cups. And I think we have a pretty good shot for the third one.”
One especially poignant memory for George the past two years was riding through Pittsburgh this past June in the back of a truck with his son, hearing the chants of “Sully! Sully!”
“It brought tears to my eyes,” George said. “He deserves everything he gets. He’s worked so hard all of his life.”
Probably because of the example set for him.
The same one the younger Sullivan isn’t about to omit from interviews anytime soon.
“He’s taken such an interest in my career, both as a player and now as a coach,” Mike said. “He lives and dies with the Penguins just like I do.
“I think it gives him so much fulfillment to have the opportunity just to experience it with me and my family. And I know for me, to have him with us is certainly a thrill.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: August 18, 2017, 12:00 p.m.
