Steve Sullivan
Steve Sullivan | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 6, 1974 Timmins, Ontario, Canada |
| Other names | "Timmins Tornado" |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player, coach, executive |
| Years active | 1994–2013 (player), 2014–present (coach/executive) |
| Known for | NHL career with New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes; coaching and executive roles with Coyotes; assistant coach for Toronto Marlies |
| Notable work | Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner (2009) |
Steve Sullivan (born July 6, 1974), known as the "Timmins Tornado", is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who appeared in over 1000 National Hockey League contests representing the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Arizona Coyotes. He subsequently transitioned into coaching and executive roles with the Coyotes organization.
Early life
Born in Timmins, Ontario, Sullivan is the son of Kenn and Louise. He attended École secondaire catholique Thériault alongside his elder brother Gary.
Early years
Following his release from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds training camp, Sullivan joined the Tier II Jr. A Timmins Golden Bears for the 1991–92 campaign. He ranked fourth in the league by scoring 66 goals and accumulating 121 points, which drew interest from NCAA Division I schools Michigan Tech University and Ferris State University. Nonetheless, his participation in the Greyhounds' 1992 exhibition matches resulted in the loss of his NCAA eligibility.
In the 1992–93 season, Sullivan played with the Greyhounds, where despite being assigned to a fourth-line role, he placed sixth on the team with 36 goals and 27 assists. His total of 63 points was tied for second among rookies. After helping the Greyhounds secure the Emms Division regular season title, he was selected for the OHL’s second rookie all-star team.
Following a clean sweep against the Peterborough Petes during the 1993 playoffs, Sullivan was rested for the initial two games of their Emms Division semifinal series versus Owen Sound.
New Jersey Devils
Post-1993–94 season, Sullivan was chosen in the ninth round of the 1994 NHL entry draft by the New Jersey Devils. Although anticipated to return to the Greyhounds for an overage year, he instead inked a two-way contract with the Devils and their AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats. The Greyhounds' management acknowledged that losing Sullivan underscored the necessity of strategic planning. By late 1994, Sullivan had notched his first professional hat-trick and led all AHL rookies in scoring with 19 goals and 21 assists. Albany’s head coach Robbie Ftorek commended his playmaking abilities, while Devils scout David Conte regarded him as a vital offensive contributor. His impressive start earned him a spot in the 1995 AHL All-Star Game. Sullivan concluded that season with 32 goals and 84 points, aiding Albany's advancement to the 1994 Calder Cup playoffs, and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. He added nine goals and sixteen assists during Albany’s successful run to capture the 1995 Calder Cup championship.
Sullivan netted his first NHL goal during his debut on February 23, 1996, facing off against the Montreal Canadiens. After a brief reassignment to Albany where he set a franchise record for most points in one game, he was recalled due to injuries on New Jersey’s roster. Playing alongside Reid Simpson and Randy McKay, he scored goals in back-to-back NHL games. Sullivan attributed his seamless transition to coach Jacques Lemaire’s guidance and similarities between Albany’s and New Jersey’s playing styles. By late March, he had tallied five goals across twelve NHL appearances. When New Jersey missed qualifying for the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs, Sullivan returned to Albany on April 15 but still ranked third on his team with 75 points. He earned selection to the AHL’s First All-Star Team for the 1995–96 season.
During New Jersey's training camp in 1996, Sullivan sustained a groin injury initially misdiagnosed as a hip flexor strain. He was placed on injured reserve on October 4 and sent back to Albany on October 14, where he recorded eight goals and seven assists over fifteen games before being recalled to the NHL on November 1. Early challenges with anxiety and confidence impacted his performance; he managed just one goal and four assists in his first ten games after returning. In January, coach Lemaire moved Sullivan from center to left wing alongside Bobby Holik and Dave Andreychuk due to his relatively smaller size. This adjustment quickly yielded results as Sullivan contributed two assists plus a game-winning goal within their first three contests together.
Toronto Maple Leafs
On February 25, 1997, Sullivan was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs along with defenseman Jason Smith and the rights to Alyn McCauley in exchange for Doug Gilmour, Dave Ellett, and a third-round draft selection. At that point in the season, Sullivan had accumulated eight goals and 14 assists over 33 games. Returning to his preferred centre role, he was positioned between Tie Domi and Wendel Clark. Domi later commended Sullivan's aggressive playing style, likening him to Theoren Fleury. Despite registering six points in his initial six games, head coach Mike Murphy encouraged him to add more "spark" to his performance. In March, Sullivan earned the NHL Rookie of the Month award by leading all rookies with four goals and seven assists across 14 games, concluding the season with five goals and 11 assists in Toronto’s final 21 contests.
During the offseason, Sullivan analyzed previous game footage to regain his competitive edge and took full responsibility for his inconsistent performance the prior year, emphasizing personal accountability rather than attributing issues to coaching. As a restricted free agent, he inked a one-year deal with Toronto on September 12, 1998. After re-injuring his hip flexors during preseason, he was sidelined for four of the first five games in the 1998–99 season and continued to struggle with inconsistency. Sullivan partly blamed an NHL bias against smaller players for these challenges. Notably, he scored four goals in a commanding 9–1 victory over the Florida Panthers on April 10, 1999, tying a franchise record for most goals scored against Florida in a single game and achieving the milestone of 20 goals for the first time in his NHL career. Sullivan missed the final four games of the opening playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins due to back spasms but returned for the second-round matchup against the Buffalo Sabres.
Chicago Blackhawks
After requesting a trade, Sullivan was placed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 23, 1999, per NHL regulations requiring teams to waive a player when signing another club’s free agent after the September deadline. Upon joining the Blackhawks, he initially wore jersey number 15 but later switched back to his junior team number following scoring difficulties. After Chicago acquired Michael Nylander in late November, they quickly developed an effective on-ice partnership; Nylander scored four goals while Sullivan assisted on three during their first game together on December 3.
On April 14, 2000, Sullivan was selected to represent Team Canada at the 2000 IIHF World Championship. He recorded his second NHL hat trick on December 22, 2000, facing off against the Vancouver Canucks.
Nashville Predators
Sullivan was traded to the Nashville Predators on February 16, 2004, in exchange for second-round draft picks in both the 2004 NHL entry draft and 2005 NHL entry draft. At that moment, he had tallied 15 goals and 28 assists in 56 games. He made an immediate impact by scoring a hat trick in his debut game and accumulating 10 points over his first three contests with Nashville, which earned him NHL Offensive Player of the Week honors for October 9–16, 2005.
In February 2007, Sullivan experienced a severe back injury that kept him out of action for nearly two years—missing the remainder of that season, all of , and part of . He made his return on January 10, 2009, against the Chicago Blackhawks. His successful comeback during the 2008–09 NHL season was recognized with the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded for perseverance and dedication—the first time a Predators player received this honor.
Pittsburgh Penguins
On July 1, 2011, Sullivan agreed to a one-year contract valued at $1.5 million with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Although his initial output during the 2011–12 NHL season was modest, he eventually integrated well into the Penguins' roster, concluding the season with 48 points across 79 games. He added two goals during the first-round playoff defeat against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Final NHL season
Sullivan secured a one-year contract worth $1.85 million with the Phoenix Coyotes on July 4, 2012, aimed at filling the role left by veteran Ray Whitney. He began the lockout-shortened 2012–13 NHL season impressively, including a hat-trick on January 24, 2013, versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. On March 28, he marked his milestone of playing in his 1,000th NHL game, celebrated as the Coyotes triumphed over the Predators 7-4.
At the trade deadline on April 3, 2013, Sullivan returned to his original franchise, the New Jersey Devils, in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick. The interval of 16 years and 45 days between his two tenures with the Devils stands as the third longest gap in NHL history.
Post-playing career
The Coyotes appointed Sullivan as their development coach on September 8, 2014. He was elevated to director of player development on May 26, 2016, and subsequently promoted to assistant general manager a year later.
After John Chayka stepped down, Sullivan served as interim general manager starting July 26, 2020, managing team operations until Bill Armstrong took over as GM in September 2020. On February 11, 2021, Sullivan was relieved of his duties as assistant GM and executive vice-president of hockey operations.
In August 2024, Sullivan joined the Toronto Marlies—affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the AHL—as an assistant coach.
Personal life
Sullivan and his wife Kristen are parents to four children. During his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, color commentator Harry Neale dubbed him the "Timmins Tornado."
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1991–92 | Timmins Golden Bears | NOJHL | 47 | 66 | 55 | 121 | 141 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 62 | 36 | 27 | 63 | 44 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 18 | ||
| 1992–93 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1993–94 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OHL | 63 | 51 | 62 | 113 | 82 | 14 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 22 | ||
| 1994–95 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 75 | 31 | 50 | 81 | 124 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 10 | ||
| 1995–96 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 53 | 33 | 42 | 75 | 127 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1995–96 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 16 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 15 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 33 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 21 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 63 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 63 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 28 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 14 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | = — | = — | = — | = — | ||
| 1999–2000 | = Chicago Blackhawks | = NHL | =73 | =22 | =42 | =64 | =52 | = — | = — | = — | = — | = — | ||
| 2000–01 | = Chicago Blackhawks | = NHL | =81 | =34 | =41 | =75 | =54 | = — | = — | = — | = — | = — | ||
| 2001–02 | = Chicago Blackhawks | = NHL | =78 | =21 | =39 | =60 | =67 | =5 | =1 | =0 | =1 | =2 | ||
| 2002–03 | = Chicago Blackhawks | = NHL | =82 | =26 | =35 | =61 | =42 | = — | = — | = — | = — | = — | ||
| 2003–04 | = Chicago Blackhawks | = NHL | =56 | =15 | =28 | =43 | =36 ::= — ::= — ::= — ::= — ::= — | |||||||
| =Nashville Predators |=NHL |=24 |=9 |=21 |=30 |=12 |=6 |=1 |=1 |=2 |=6 | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–06 |= Nashville Predators |=NHL |=69 |=31 |=37 |=68 |=50 |=5 |=0 |=2 |=2 |=0 | ||||||||||||||
| 2006–07 |= Nashville Predators |=NHL |=57 |=22 |=38 |=60 |=20 |= — |= — |= — |= — |= — | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–09 |= Nashville Predators |=NHL |=41 |=11 |=21 |=32 |=30 |= — |= — |= — |= — |= — | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–10 |> Nashville Predators |> NHL |>82 |>17 |>34 |>51 |>35 |>6 |>0 |>3 |>3 |>2 | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–11 |> Nashville Predators |> NHL |>44 |>10 |>12 |>22 |>28 |>9 |>2 |>1 |>3 |>2 | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–12 |>Pittsburgh Penguins |>NHL |>79 |>17 |>31 |>48 |>20 |>6 |>2 |>4 |>6 |>4 | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–13 |>Phoenix Coyotes |>NHL |>33 |>5 |>7 |>12 |>20 |>| — |>| — |>| — |>| — |> | ||||||||||||||
| New Jersey Devils |NHL |9 |2 |3 |5 |4 |— |— |— |— |— | ||||||||||||||
| NHL totals | 1,011 | 290 | 457 | 747 | 587 | 50 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 30 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Canada | WC | 9 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | |
| 2001 | Canada | WC | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | |
| Overall Senior Statistics | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 24 | |||