Mike Sullivan gets the glory but not the gold at Winter Olympics

Rob Joesbury, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Feb 23, 2026

Published in Olympics

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Mike Sullivan has his name on the Stanley Cup twice as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he didn’t get a gold medal as coach of Team USA.

The U.S. men beat Canada, 2-1, Sunday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, winning on Jack Hughes’ goal less than two minutes into overtime.

But, as is custom, Sullivan and the coaching staff did not receive medals.

So, Sullivan will have to borrow a gold medal from one of his players if he wants to put it around his neck or just get a close look at it.

That is exactly what coach John Wroblewski did after the U.S. women won gold Friday.

“Can I check out your gold medal?” Wroblewski asked American star Hilary Knight, according to The Athletic. “I’ve got to check one of these things out.”

The idea is that if the head coach gets one, then the assistants should get one. And then the support staff. And so on.

The NHL in comparison allows up to 55 names, including management, to be engraved on the Stanley Cup.

The U.S. men’s win marks the culmination of a nearly five-year Olympic journey for Sullivan.

He was named coach of the 2022 team, but the NHL ultimately opted out of the Beijing Games because of COVID-19. In May 2024, Sullivan got a second chance when U.S. general manager Bill Guerin, the former Penguins player and executive, tapped him again.

Almost a year later, Sullivan hit another speed bump when the Penguins fired him.

Now coaching the New York Rangers, the 57-year-old was asked by a reporter after Sunday’s win if he had heard from President Donald Trump or the White House.

He said he had not, but the players had.

No gold medal, no talk with the president. But Sullivan remained gracious in his remarks.

“This game in a lot of ways was an inspiration to our country and, you know, I can’t tell you how many texts I’ve received over the last day or so about watch parties at 8 o’clock in the morning,” Sullivan said. “I think from a viewership standpoint in the United States, there were a lot of people paying attention, including the president."

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