PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Head Coach Mike Sullivan have parted ways.

The announcement on X by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas before 9 a.m. Monday comes about 10 days after the franchise ended its first losing season since 2005-06.

Sullivan has been head coach since December 2015 and led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 2016 and 2017. The Penguins begin a search for a new head coach immediately.

“On behalf of Fenway Sports Group and the Penguins organization, I would like to thank Mike Sullivan for his unwavering commitment and loyalty to the team and City of Pittsburgh over the past decade,” Dubas wrote. “Mike is known for his preparation, focus and fierce competitiveness. I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to his dedication to this franchise for the past two seasons.

“He will forever be an enormous part of Penguins history, not only for the impressive back-to-back Cups, his impact on the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, but more importantly, for his love and loyalty to the organization. This was not a decision that was taken lightly, but as we continue to navigate the Penguins through this transitional period, we felt it was the best course forward for all involved.”

Sullivan, whose 409 wins with Pittsburgh make him the Penguins all-time wins leader and just the 14th coach in NHL history to win 400 games with one team, came to the team from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.