Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bylsma Named Interim Coach Of NHL Pittsburgh Penguins
February 16, 2009 | Ice Hockey
Feb. 16, 2009
Pittsburgh, Pa. - Former Bowling Green State University forward Dan Bylsma has been named the interim head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the NHL club announced Sunday night. Bylsma, 38, has been serving as the head coach of the Penguin's American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Bylsma was to be behind the Penguin bench for their game Monday (Feb. 16) afternoon on the road against the New York Islanders.
The Grand Haven, Mich. native played nine seasons (1995-04) in the NHL for Los Angeles and Anaheim seeing action in 429 regular season games and he also played in the 2003 Stanley Cup with Anaheim.. He began his coaching career as an assistant with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the AHL in 2004-05. He made his NHL coaching debut as an assistant coach for the Islanders in 2005-06.
The past three seasons he has been coaching at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton spending the 2006-07 and the following season as the assistant coach to Todd Richards. He was elevated to the head coach before this season after Richards accepted a job with the NHL's San Jose Sharks.
In the two years he was an assistant coach, Bylsma helped Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to a 98-49-5-8 record and the Baby Penguins won the AHL East Division and the Eastern Conference championship in 2007-08. That season they also advanced to the Calder Cup final.
This season, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had compiled a 35-16-1 record and won their eighth straight game on Sunday.
Bylsma's assistant coach this season at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is former BGSU player and coach Todd Reirden.
Bylsma played 157 games at Bowling Green between 1988-92 notching 87 points on 37 goals and 50 assists. He was twice named to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's All-Academic team.
