Typically, when coach Mike Sullivan takes his familiar spot at the front of the Penguins’ dressing room for interviews, a sign hangs just overhead.
The word “Accountability” is spelled out, along with a somewhat creative definition: “A personal choice to demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving exceptional results.”
Tuesday was far from the typical interview session. But when Sullivan spoke with reporters in a video conference call, the same message that usually looms over him was spelled out in a different way, when the coach encouraged everyone to make the right personal choices when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic and social-distancing guidelines.
“I think it’s our responsibility as people within our own respective communities to make sure that we do our part in trying to help the country overcome this challenge,” Sullivan said. “I don’t think any of us should take it lightly.
“I’d also like to take a minute to thank the medical teams out there, the doctors and nurses, the first responders, the law enforcement and fire department, all the people that are on the front lines that are helping to fight this battle. You are our real heroes. We really appreciate what you are doing at this particular time.”
Here are some other highlights from the interview, including the possible return of Jake Guentzel, Sullivan’s opinions on a return-to-play time frame and an update on his driveway pickleball games:
On Jake Guentzel
When general manager Jim Rutherford spoke with reporters last week, he expressed optimism that Jake Guentzel might be able to resume his season at some point this year. Sullivan double down on that assessment on Tuesday.
“You think about the time frame that was laid out after Jake’s surgery,” Sullivan said. “It’s reasonable to think we would get him back. We’re excited about that potential opportunity.”
Both the GM and coach pointed out that when Guentzel underwent shoulder surgery following his Dec. 30 collision with the boards, the estimates were that he’d miss four to six months. That puts the return somewhere between the end of April and the beginning of July.
The NHL, which on Tuesday extended self-quarantine recommendations for players through April 15, said previously it would comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that restrict gatherings of more than 50 people until the middle of May.
So even an absolute best-case scenario means hockey won’t be back until somewhere within the middle of Guentzel’s projected return window — maybe later.
“Knowing Jake the way we know him, he’s a real competitive kid,” Sullivan said. “We know what this means to him. He loves to compete. And he’s a tough kid.”
Adding Guentzel, in and of itself, would be a major shot-in-the-arm for the Penguins. He’s an All-Star who was on pace for his second consecutive 40-goal year prior to the injury. But beyond the obvious, Sullivan said he’d expect Guentzel’s return to have a ripple effect on the lineup.
“It makes our top-six stronger,” Sullivan said. “I think it makes our bottom-six stronger by the nature of having a little bit more depth. There are a lot of positive things with the potential return.”
On a possible return-to-play format
The NHL will have to overcome a number of obstacles in order to resume the season. But if the league does find a way to restart, it will have to balance what’s fair with what’s feasible, given the likely time constraints.
During an interview session last week, Sidney Crosby said he wouldn’t mind picking right back up with postseason play. Sullivan was less committal when asked for his take.
“It’s not an easy question to answer, because there’s really no clarity with the timeline,” Sullivan said. “We don’t know how big the window of opportunity is for us as a league.
“I do think that the league is thinking all the potential scenarios through. I know that we have great leadership in the league front office. They will do their best to find that balance of trying to finish the season as best they can and award the Stanley Cup, and at the same time be as fair and equitable as they possibly can.”
Sullivan said that if the season does resume, a mini training camp period would need to last about two weeks for players to regain their timing and reacclimate their bodies to a physical game.
On what went wrong before the season was suspended
It feels like a lifetime ago. But there was a time before the world changed that a losing skid was the biggest worry in Pittsburgh.
After climbing to the top of the Metropolitan Division on Feb. 18, the Penguins lost eight of 10 games before finally snapping the skid with a 5-2 win in New Jersey — the final game before the season was suspended.
“There were a lot of circumstances surrounding the bit of adversity that our team went through before the suspension of play,” Sullivan said. “We had a number of returning players coming off the injured last, coming back into our lineup. The trade deadline was right at the same time. We’re trying to assimilate new players into our lineup. There were certain players we probably overtaxed and put them in difficult scenarios from that standpoint out of necessity because of the injuries that we had to endure.”
But Sullivan saw the win in New Jersey as a positive step forward.
“We felt as a coaching staff that we were starting to come together, that we starting to find a chemistry again and everyone’s roles and the new guys and how to utilize the new guys and maximize their contribution to our group. We really liked the direction we were going.”
On what he’s doing to stay busy
An avid reader, Sullivan said he’s been diving into some good books. He’s also been playing pool with his son at night and pickleball on the driveway.
“If there’s any silver lining in this, sometimes you take for granted your respective families,” Sullivan said. “When you have an opportunity like we’ve had over the last couple of weeks, I’ve certainly grown an appreciation for my family.”
On getting through a tough time, together
Sullivan reiterated several times that he appreciates the work people on the “front lines” are doing. He closed the interview session by offering a piece of coaching encouragement.
“This is certainly a difficult time for everyone,” Sullivan said. “We all acknowledge that. What’s jumped out at me is how impressive the human spirit and the human initiative is. When I look around the country and see how people band together to overcome challenges and work together to try to help one another through this crisis, for me, it’s inspiring. It’s impressive.
“We will get through this. We’ll get through this together.”
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: March 31, 2020, 8:50 p.m.
