Sidney Crosby makes his feelings known as Pittsburgh Penguins part ways with Mike Sullivan after 10 years

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Monday that Mike Sullivan is no longer the team’s head coach. This decision came after the Penguins missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third straight year. The team ended the season with a 34-36-12 record and finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby shared his thoughts after the news. In an email, he thanked Sullivan for his work and guidance.

“He did an amazing job over the last 10 years here with his preparation and commitment to winning," Crosby said." Personally, he pushed me to be better everyday, and I learned a lot from him. We shared some great memories together, and I am grateful for his time here and everything he did for us.”

Sullivan became the team's head coach in December 2015. He helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017. Crosby lifted his second and third Cups during that time. Sullivan coached 753 regular-season games and had a 409-255-89 record. He became the winningest coach in Penguins history.

Sidney Crosby was informed before Penguins fired coach Mike Sullivan

General manager Kyle Dubas said he spoke with Sidney Crosby before the team made the decision. He called Crosby the morning before he met with Sullivan. Dubas said it was a short conversation and didn’t go into much detail.

“I called Sid (Sidney Crosby) yesterday morning before I met with Sully (Mike Sullivan) to give him the heads up,” Dubas told NHL.com.

He said Crosby had been through situations like this before and added that his job is to do what’s best for the team.

Earlier in the season, Dubas said all players except Crosby could be traded. It showed how important Crosby is to the team. Even though there were rumors about Crosby’s future, he had signed an extension before the season began.