On Wednesday, Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas formally introduced Dan Muse as the 23rd head coach in franchise history at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Muse, 42, was hired to replace former bench boss Mike Sullivan on Jun. 4, and after a long search and process, Dubas believes that they've found the right guy for where the Penguins are at right now.
And it was someone who was not initially on his radar.
"What stood about Dan during the process was that he was not somebody that I knew personally going into it," Dubas said. "But right from the time that we met and we spoke on the phone, then when we met over Zoom, and then met in person, it became clear that he was somebody that was going to be extraordinarily well-suited to develop all of our players. Not just our young players, but all of them."
He continued: "[With] everything about him as we got through and further on in the process, it became clear that he was going to be a great fit to partner with us and help lead us through this transition and then back into contention with the Pittsburgh Penguins."
Muse is excited to get started in Pittsburgh, too, as this is his first head coaching opportunity at the NHL level. He previously had assistant coaching stints with the Nashville Predators, and - most recently - with the New York Rangers.
And he is aware of the caliber of the organization that he is joining.
"It's an honor to work in the NHL," Muse said. "It's a huge honor to be a head coach in this league. It's extremely humbling to be a part of this organization, this city, working with this staff and with these players. I couldn't be more excited to get started here."
Here are three takeaways from Muse's introductory press conference:
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1. Development is the no. 1 priority in a "transitional" period
If one thing was made very clear on Wednesday, it's that the Penguins have fully shifted their focus to development.
"Through this process, you see what an exciting time it is to come in here," Muse said. "You have legendary players of our game here in Pittsburgh. Future hall-of-famers. You have these exciting young players that are coming up, and then you have a little bit of everything in between. So, to have an opportunity to work together with everybody here to make sure that these players are continuing to grow wherever they are in their career... I just can't tell you how exciting an opportunity that is."
Muse understands the assignment, too, as he is aware of the fact that the team is in a transitionary period. He's ready to undertake the task of bridging the team back to contention - and he'll do it one player at a time, one day at a time.
"There's going to be a lot of work that goes into it [before training camp]," Muse said. "And that's the work with each individual and what they need, it's going to be the work with the collective group, and then, as soon as we get on the ice for the first time, we're going to continue to build. It's going to be a step-by-step process. Each day, we're going to be looking to get a little bit better as a group, a little bit better for each of these guys."
2. Muse values an individualistic approach to coaching
And on that note, one of the best bits from Muse during this presser was when he was asked about his approach to balancing the desire to win and the focus on development.
He kept mentioning how each player is different and has different needs depending on where they're at in their respective careers. This individualistic approach to coaching his players is something that separates him, and he knows how to put it all together to meet common goals, too.
"Everybody's different," Muse said. "Everybody's path's going to be different, so as a coach, you enjoy that part of it because you've got to learn who the person is to really work with them and help them."
He added: "You have guys in different places in their careers, and that's very clear. My job coming in here is going to be to help maximize each person and to help each person work toward what their highest level could be right now. And that's going to be my focus."
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The understanding that every player's path is different should bode well for a coach working with so many young players - and young players with different things to work on.
"Part of player development is saying, 'What could you become?' and helping that person believe that, and then helping guide them, helping them with the road map on how to get there," Muse said. "And then, you're working together with the player in order to help that player take their game to the next level.
"I think it's really rewarding to be able to be a part of that, and to be able to help players achieve those things that they're looking to do and help them see what could be possible."
3. There will be a high degree of collaboration between Muse and Dubas
Make no mistake: Dubas and Muse will definitely be working very closely.
And that collaboration is one of the aspects that drew Muse to the job in the first place:
"One of the things that really excited me about this opportunity was the clear collaboration it's going to have," Muse said. "And that, kind of, started right away within this process. I think that, early on in our conversations - and especially when coming in here in that meeting with other members of the organization - it became very clear that this is an opportunity for full collaboration at a very high level. And there will be."
He added: "That's something that excites me. That's something that I've seen and something that I believe in that you have to have. You have to take all the resources that you have, all the different people and ideas, and you have to become united in what your approach is going to be and in everything that you do. And I believe that's what leads to success."
Dubas echoed that sentiment, and he thinks the collboration between him, Muse, and the players will help propel the team toward a better future.
"Of course, when we're talking about building out the team and how we want it to play, there's always a give-and-take between the coach and the manager," Dubas said. "There's the way that Dan would like the team to play, and then there's the group of players that we have and the group of players that are available... and then trying to find the best way, collectively, to move the team ahead."
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