Long after an awkward exit from the Maple Leafs, Steve Sullivan is back in the Toronto fold.
The diminutive forward, waived by the Leafs not long after a career year and a role in their 1999 ride to the conference final, has come full circle 25 years later to an assistant coach with the Marlies.
His second-last stop post-Toronto in his 1,011-game NHL career was in 2012-13 with Arizona, when current Leafs general manager Brad Treliving was the Coyotes vice-president of hockey operations.
Sullivan, now 50, was assistant GM of the Coyotes from 2017-21, mostly handling their AHL farm team in Tucson, after a stint in player development. He served as interim GM after John Chayka’s resignation.
Toronto GM/coach Pat Quinn’s decision to drop Sullivan backfired when he recorded 60-plus points in four straight seasons in Chicago, then likewise in two years with Nashville. After missing all or parts of three seasons with a debilitating back injury, Sullivan recovered and won the 2009 Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance.
Originally part of the package Toronto received from New Jersey in the Doug Gilmour-Dave Ellett trade, the Timmins-born ninth-round pick totaled 290 goals and 457 assists for six clubs. He was a Calder Cup winner with the Albany River Rats in 1995.
Sullivan rounds out Marlies head coach Jon Gruden’s staff for the 2024-25 season, which includes Michael Dyck, goalie coach Hannu Toivonen and video coach Troy Paquette.
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