Dan Muse will make his NHL head coaching debut at Madison Square Garden — just not behind the New York Rangers bench.
After two seasons as an assistant in New York, Muse is now the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who open the 2025-26 season against the Rangers on Oct. 7. Behind the other bench, Mike Sullivan — who spent the past decade coaching the Penguins — will be making his debut with the Rangers.
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“It’s a bit ironic, I guess,” Muse said this week on NHL Network. “The fact that it’s MSG … obviously both sides of it there. But I think once we get to that game, we’re just going to be excited to start the season and excited to play the first game.”
It’s a full-circle moment to start the season — two new coaches and their former teams facing off at the Garden.
Related: Hiring Mike Sullivan as coach most impactful Rangers move in offseason: poll
Dan Muse ‘learned a ton’ from former Rangers coach Peter Laviolette
Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Before landing his first NHL head coaching gig, Muse spent years climbing the coaching ladder — from college hockey to the USHL to the international stage with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. But no one had a greater influence on his journey than a certain former Rangers coach.
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“Definitely Peter Laviolette,” Muse said when asked who’s helped him the most to become the coach he is. “Having worked with him there in both Nashville and New York. He gave me my first opportunity here to work in the NHL. It’s something I’ll be forever grateful for — and I learned a ton from him. The way he delegates — being with him firsthand there in two different organizations, I learned a ton that I’ll take with me moving forward.”
Muse served under Laviolette with the Predators before joining him in New York in 2023. Now, he steps into the spotlight on his own — tasked with leading a Penguins team entering a new era and facing a long road back to contention, after missing the Stanley Cup Palyoffs three straight seasons.
Related: Rangers 2025-26 NHL schedule includes outdoor game, longest homestand, road trip since 2021
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The Rangers thought so highly of Muse that they didn’t fire him when Laviolette was let go at the end of last season. Veteran assistant Phil Housley was also fired, but Muse and fellow assistant Michael Peca were not, each encouraged to interview for openings on the new staff.
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However, Peca moved on to take an assistant position with the Chicago Blackhawks under new coach Jeff Blashill. And Muse did one better, taking the place of the coach who’s replacing Laviolette in New York.
Muse will, have his hands full coaching the Rangers division rival. Though they still have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Bryan Rust and Erik Karlsson on the roster, the Penguins are a team in transition.
The ability to develop young players and prospects is part of the reason why Muse got the job in Pittsburgh. But he must juggle some playoff expectations, too, especially with Crosby still playing at an elite level.
Nonetheless, Muse’s adventure with the Penguins gets underway at his old workplace on 7th Avenue in an ironic twist.
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