Dan Muse never played a game in the NHL. By his own admission, he wasn't even a good Division III player in college.

But on Wednesday, the Alabama-raised, one-time high school history teacher sat at the podium at PPG Paints Arena as the newest head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins—chosen by Kyle Dubas not for any kind of pedigree as a player, but for his work ethic, adaptability, player development background, and excitement around building from the ground up as the franchise enters a new era.

Muse's path to becoming an NHL head coach was unconventional. But it's one he says he "wouldn't change a thing" about, because his journey moulded him into what he is today, which happened to be exactly what the Penguins were looking for.

Dubas called the search for a new head coach a "fairly extensive process" that began as soon as the team moved on from Mike Sullivan in late-April. Dubas and Muse had zero prior relationship before the interview process -- they first met over the phone, and then again over Zoom later in the process, before finally bringing Muse into Pittsburgh for the final stage of the search.

What stood out the most to Dubas over the long process was that Muse was "extraordinarily well-suited" in the development role that the Penguins valued.

"When you look at his track record, and then you speak to the players that he's worked with, whether they were in junior or at the U.S. National Team Development Program or with the Rangers most recently, whether they were a young player coming into the league or or a veteran player that was continuing to try to find their way or stay in the league, Dan had made a strong impact on them," Dubas said.

Beyond the development history, Dubas thought that Muse had an impressive resume when it came to just winning. 

"Winning with the Yale in the NCAA, then going to Chicago (in the USHL) and winning there," Dubas said. "Helping Nashville to have very successful seasons when he was a member of the Predator staff under Peter Laviolette, then going back to the U.S. program and helping them win a gold medal in 2023 and then back to New York, where they had a very successful season in his first year, and the impact that he made on the penalty-killing units in his time in both Nashville and New York alike."

Above all, Dubas was impressed with the way Muse conducts himself -- "his work ethic, his intelligence, everything about him."

That all comes from Muse's unique journey.

Muse grew up in California, where ice rinks were few and far between. His first exposure to the game came through street hockey with his brothers. His family moved closer to his mother's side of the family in Alabama when he was 11, and now with an ice rink nearby, that's where Muse first got into playing hockey. He loved it, but he was starting to play far later into his childhood than some of his peers.

"It was hard for me," Muse told me. "I had to work really hard just to be, a high school player, and then really, really hard just to be a bad Division III player. That helped me become who I am. That taught me about work ethic. That taught me about how you never quit, you don't stop. You don't listen to any of the outside noise. You just keep finding a way."

Muse took some shorter-term and part-time jobs after college -- coaching lacrosse, coaching hockey even teaching high-school history. All along, he was learning lessons that would eventually translate to coaching at a high level. 

"You go into a classroom, and you've got to figure out what makes each person tick," he explained. "What motivates them, how do they learn, what's best for them? And so, I think everything for me in regards to coaching kind of starts with that."

Muse named forming those kinds of personal relationships as the core tenet of his coaching philosophy. 

"I want to make sure to get to know each person, myself and the coaching staff, until you actually get to know the people that you're working with every day," Muse said. "Everybody's different. Everything for me in regard to coaching kind of starts with that."

The Penguins needed a "teacher" type like Muse at this stage, with a wave of young players pushing for spots on the roster next season, and more waves behind them as the Penguins continue to get younger. But Muse also stressed the importance of helping every player grow -- "future Hall of Famers, exciting young players that are coming up, and then a little bit of everything in between."

Muse's first few steps into the job have been busy ones. He spoke with Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang on his first day on the job, and estimates that he has since spoken with 95% of the players under contract. He and the rest of the front office are having their pro scouting meetings this week, examining the roster, what's out there as far as free agency and trades, and where they should go from here.

The next step is for Muse to fill out his assistant coaching staff, a process that is already underway. He's prioritizing variety in the search -- different backgrounds, different experiences, different ideas -- but values the coach as a person being a good fit within the group above all else.

Muse, like Dubas, was reluctant to put a timeframe on how soon the Penguins can be back to being a contender. He's more focused on the process, the "day-to-day approach," from the first day of training camp.

"My job coming in here is going to be to help maximize each person, and help each person work towards what their highest level can be right now," he said. "It's going to be about coming in, putting in the work, having a plan for each individual, having a plan to work for the collective group, attacking it and building it."

Muse was impressive in his first meeting with reporters. He comes off as someone passionate about development and excited to work toward getting the most about the Penguins' older veterans. And he also comes off as someone immensely grateful for the opportunity to be where he is, and someone who will work incredibly hard to succeed in the position -- values in part gained from his unconventional path to this point.

“It’s an honor to work in the National Hockey League,” Muse said. “It's an honor to be a head coach in this league, and it’s extremely humbling to be a part of this organization and this city, working with this staff and these players. I couldn't be more excited to get started."