During the Penguins’ 5-4 shootout preseason win against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday, head coach Mike Sullivan suffered a laceration on his forehead after being struck by a puck early in the third period.
Sullivan left the Penguins bench and was escorted to the team’s medical facilities for some repairs. He returned after about nine minutes of game time and completed the contest with some stitchwork applied to the damage.
“He’s a big boy,” defenseman Kris Letang joked following the game. “He can take it. He’s been in the league for a while.”
The 6-foot-2 Sullivan spent 11 seasons as a hard-scrabble checking center in the NHL during the 1990s and early 2000s. So, it’s not the first time he’s been struck by a puck
But absorbing one in shin guards and shoulder pads is one thing. Doing it in a suit is another.
“It was a fast puck,” said Sullivan, who was fairly jovial about the mishap following the game. “I couldn’t move quick enough. I caught it out of the corner of my eye at the last minute and just reacted. But couldn’t move quick enough. Just the wrong place at the wrong time.”
