Reports: Rangers zero in on Mike Sullivan as next head coach
The Penguins parted ways with the 10-year coach on April 28, nine days after the Rangers dismissed coach Peter Laviolette. Both teams missed the playoffs as the postseason drought for the Penguins reached three consecutive campaigns.
The Rangers, a preseason favorite in the Eastern Conference, missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Their next coach will be the 38th in franchise history.
Sullivan spent four seasons (2009-13) as an assistant coach for the Rangers, serving under John Tortorella. The two could work together again, as Tortorella left his post as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers late this season. The duo served on the staff of Team USA in the recent 4 Nations Face-Off.
Sullivan, a Marshfield, Mass., native, served as the head coach of the Boston Bruins for the 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons and was hired by the Penguins midway through the 2015-16 season. His first two squads in Pittsburgh finished second in the Metropolitan Division, but went on to capture the Stanley Cup each time, defeating the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators, respectively.
Sullivan is 21 wins shy of 500 in his 12-year career, with a mark of 479-311-112. He is the winningest coach in Penguins' history with 409.
--Field Level Media
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Reuters
12 minutes ago
- Reuters
Nathan Eovaldi continues to dominate as Rangers cruise past Braves
July 26 - Jonah Heim homered and Sam Haggerty had an RBI double and scored a run to back a solid start by Nathan Eovaldi as the Texas Rangers stayed hot with an 8-3 win over the sputtering Atlanta Braves on Friday in the first of a three-game series in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won their fourth straight game and 12th in their past 15 outings while Atlanta dropped its third consecutive contest. Texas, led by Haggerty's two hits, outhit the Braves 8-6. Eovaldi (8-2), returning to the mound after missing his last scheduled start because of a stiff back, gave up three hits in five scoreless innings while walking four and striking out seven. It was the seventh start this season in which Eovaldi did not allow a run. Joey Wentz (2-2), making just his second start since 2023, allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk over 4 1/3 innings. The Rangers got on the board in their first at bat. Haggerty -- who was reinstated from the injured list just prior to the game -- led off with a single, went to third on a stolen base and a throwing error on the steal and trotted home on a sacrifice fly by Marcus Semien. Texas added to the lead with Heim's two-out solo home run in the second. In the fourth, Semien walked to begin the inning and stole second. He raced home on a double to left field by Wyatt Langford to push the Rangers' advantage to 3-0. Haggerty's double in the fifth off Atlanta reliever Aaron Bummer plated Michael Helman, who had singled, and expanded Texas' lead. The Braves finally responded as Micheal Harris II homered off Texas' reliever Jacob Latz to lead off the seventh inning. Texas put away the game in the eighth with plenty of help from the Braves. After singles by Adolis Garcia and Josh Jung and a walk from to Langford, reliever Rafael Montero issued a bases-loaded walk to Heim to score a run. Hunter Stratton relieved for Atlanta and hit Josh Smith with a pitch to score another run, Evan Carter singled to drive in a third run in the frame and Rowdy Tellez added a sacrifice fly to make it 8-1. Jurickson Profar and Matt Olson had a RBIs in the ninth for the Braves but it was far too little, too late. --Field Level Media
Scotsman
7 hours ago
- Scotsman
The Scottish football teamsheet that might be worth a pretty penny after historic night
Dundee United's foreigner first in Europe is a far cry from the 1980s Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... At a boom time for football memorabilia, what price the slightly crumpled bit of paper lying on the desk in front of me? The Rangers jersey worn by Tommy McLean in the 1972 European Cup-Winners' Cup final recently set a new record for a Scottish football shirt when it sold for £19,000. I'm thinking I should keep hold of my teamsheet from the first leg of Dundee United's Conference League second qualifying round tie against FC UNA Strassen. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It is most definitely a collector's item and now I am kicking myself for having spoiled it. Next to each United player's name, I have scribbled the country for whom they are eligible to play international football. Not once did I have to write 'Scotland', which is why the teamsheet, albeit slightly defaced (my bad), could merit a place in a Scottish football museum in time. Not one Scot featured in the starting XI for Dundee United against UNA Strassen. | SNS Group As you'll be aware by now, for the first time in Dundee United's proud history, a club that once provided five players for a Scotland World Cup squad and were regarded as the last word in developing young Scottish talent sent out a team without a single Scot in it on Thursday evening. I even heard it described as the saddest teamsheet in the club's history – Steve Clarke, the current Scotland manager, might well agree. It sparked plenty of comment across social media, understandably so, while calling to mind the wonderful photograph celebrating the achievement mentioned above when United players – namely Maurice Malpas, Eamonn Bannon, David Narey, Richard Gough and Paul Sturrock - made up roughly 22 per cent of the 1986 World Cup squad in Mexico. The picture in question has the quintet sitting team photo style and includes Walter Smith, who had just joined Rangers from the United coaching staff. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scotland's new breed This crop of talent – Bannon joined from Chelsea, the rest were home-grown and helped United claim their only Scottish league title in 1983 – was rivalled by a later wave including Duncan Ferguson, Christian Dailly and Ray McKinnon. The New Breed, they called themselves while testing Jim McLean's mettle. The current new breed is likewise young and ambitious. They just require a plane ticket. Manager Jim Goodwin flagged his intentions earlier this summer while observing that he'd had 'considerable success' while at Aberdeen and St Mirren when exploring foreign markets. He certainly hit the jackpot in the case of Bojan Miovski, who earned Aberdeen several million quid last year. All 11 United signings made so far this summer have been non-Scots. After skipper Ross Graham, perhaps the only native player assured of a starting berth, succumbed to an injury that could see him sidelined for up to three months, it was always likely United might line up the way they did on Thursday night at some point. The Scotland team line up before a match against Israel in 1986, including four Dundee Utd players: (L-R) Charlie Nicholas , Eamon Bannon , Graeme Sharp , David Narey , Richard Gough , Jim Bett , Paul McStay , Roy Aitken , Maurice Malpas , Jim Leighton and Willie Miller. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 It felt particularly notable that they should do so in a European tie given United's successes of old, such as the night(s) they humbled Barcelona in 1987 with 11 Scots. It ought to be noted that when they beat the same side home and away 21 years earlier in the Fairs Cup, they did so with a team including a Norwegian and two Swedes. United were pioneers when it came to exploring the Scandinavian market. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It's also incumbent to note that two Scots did take the field on Thursday night in the shape of substitutes Craig Sibbald and Owen Stirton, the latter a more than promising product of the United Academy from far off Forfar. Still, I wondered as I passed Club '83 on St Salvador Street after Thursday's game whether United's first non-Scottish XI might be the main topic of discussion at the bar or would it be shrugged off as just what happens now. It's modern football, innit? Rangers' team of 2000 Not even so modern. After all, it's now over 25 years – March 2000 – since Rangers fielded a team without a Scot in it for the first time. Looking back at contemporary reports, this seemingly historic event barely rated a mention as the Ibrox side were held 0-0 at home by St Johnstone. Maybe, given Rangers had been accused of buying success since the Souness Revolution, it just felt like the logical next step. Celtic, meanwhile, were behind the curve. It was not until 8 September 2001 in a 3-1 win over Dunfermline that they emulated Rangers on this score with a team including the likes of Dmitri Kharine (Russia) and Olivier Tebily (Ivory Coast). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad One might imagine Tom Cairns, the Dundee United historian, having something to say on the seeming repudiation of the club's proud past and he does in a way. 'It's quite blunt,' he answers. 'The Dundee United Football Club of the last five years bears little resemblance to the club that I and many others grew up with.' He's long understood the past is another country. The now famous team sheet from Dundee United's Conference League against UNA Strassen | Alan Pattullo Remarkably, Cairns has only ever missed one home United European game – against Trabzonspor in 1997. He's seen them joust with giants on the European arena with a team full of Scots and he's now seen them beat a part-time side from Luxembourg 1-0 with a starting XI devoid of native talent. As a historian, did it feel momentous? 'No,' he replies, instantly dampening my excitement about the prospect of retiring with the proceeds from my teamsheet sale. 'It was mooted the other week that it must be very close to that happening. 'At the end of the day, it's like the new strip – do you like the strip or not? Well, I don't care about the strip. I just want to know there are good players inside it.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The finances don't add up It's a further sign of the way football is going, he explains: 'I am quite sure there are certain players they would like to have signed in Scotland but financially it's beyond them.' As Goodwin has stressed, abroad simply represents better value. Another reason we might just need to get used to vanishingly few Scots playing for our favourite teams is the recent phenomenon of highly rated players being sold to big English sides by clubs like Dundee United before they've barely had the chance to kick a ball for the first team, most recently Brandon Forbes.
Daily Record
7 hours ago
- Daily Record
Lennon Miller 'could play against Rangers' but I expect answers, says Motherwell boss
Jens Berthel Askou doesn't expect a resolution in the next few days Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou won't rule Lennon Miller out of playing against Rangers in their Premiership opener, but says he expects answers next week. Miller has been absent for the Premier Sports Cup games and was missing again tonight as Motherwell drew 1-1 with Hertha Berlin in their final pre-season warm-up. The youngster has been linked with a big money move elsewhere, but Askou said: 'I don't expect his situation to be resolved in the next few days. There's nothing new on Lennon Miller so right now he's still our player and he's back in little bit of training and I look forward to seeing him on Monday. 'There is a possibility of him playing against Rangers but again we will have to get some answers next week. 'It's not ruled out.' Askou was pleased with the game against Hertha Berlin, but says the calibre of the opposition means it wasn't just a 'friendly'. He said: 'I'm absolutely pleased with the performance. I think it's maybe a little bit of an understatement to call it an exercise, because I think it was a very competitive match, with two teams who really tried to play the game on their terms. 'There was momentum for us, for them, and a little bit from us at the end. 'It ended with a draw, I think that felt really good for us, because we earned that, the possibility to get a draw, and it's about quality and effectiveness at the end. 'We wanted to see how far we are, in terms of trying to play our style of play against a team of very high quality, and I think that gave us some answers. 'We still have a job to do, but we're also very happy with the level we displayed at times, not just in moments but in several phases, and I'm really impressed with the boys and how they were able to find some extra in the reserve tank, when the normal tank was completely empty, after a tough couple of weeks, and actually go for it in the end.' Askou says the game was good preparation for Rangers next week and said: 'That's the closest we get to the standard of Rangers. I know they had a fantastic result the other night and a fantastic team riding on new energy with a manager who has new ideas,'
