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Penguins Announce Unexpected Coaching Hire

The Pittsburgh Penguins have ended their coaching search with a first-time bench boss.

Nick Horwat

Jan 7, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators head coach John Hynes talks with assistant coach Dan Muse during the first period against the Boston Bruins at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
Jan 7, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators head coach John Hynes talks with assistant coach Dan Muse during the first period against the Boston Bruins at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
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The Pittsburgh Penguins have been on the hunt for a new head coach with multiple names appearing as front-runners at various times. With the offseason about to be fully in swing, the Penguins have officially announced a new head coach.

While names like Jay Woodcroft and Mitch Love emerged as leading candidates, the Penguins went with an under-the-radar hire of Dan Muse.

Muse spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers, coaching under Peter Laviolette. Before joining the Rangers, Muse was an assistant with the Nashville Predators between 2017 and 2020.

Outside of his work as an NHL assistant, Muse has been a regular face in junior and developmental hockey. Muse has been behind the bench at various NCAA schools like Yale and Sacred Heart.

Following his time at the NCAA level and scattered around his stints in the NHL, Muse led the USHL’s Chicago Steel between 2015 and 2017.

Muse would go on to become the head coach of the United States National Development Team, leading Team USA at various international junior tournaments.

A coach of Muse’s caliber, with a long history of work with young players and prospects is the perfect situation for the Penguins. They are a team in transition as superstars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are nearing the end of their careers.

“From his success in developing college and junior players, to his impactful work with veteran players during his time in the NHL,” Penguins GM Kyle Dubas said. “Dan has shown a proven ability to connect with players at all stages of their careers and help them to reach their potential.”

Youngsters like Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, and Sergei Murashov are ready to take big steps at the NHL level and having a coach who has a lengthy history of working with developing players should make the transition easy on them.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

Nick Horwat is a contributor with Breakaway On SI. He was previously a credentialed reporter for The Hockey News covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A Pittsburgh native, Nick graduated from Point Park University and started reporting on news and sports with KDKA Radio and 93.7 The Fan. After hosting a Penguins talk radio show in college, he morphed the show into a podcast. The Tip of the Ice-Burgh Podcast has been a leading Penguins podcast since 2019. Follow him on Twitter @NickHorwat41.

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