Change horses in midstream?

History suggests it doesn't work, at least when it comes to professional sports in Pittsburgh.

This year, however, the Penguins caught lightning in a bottle when they replaced coach Michel Therrien with Dan Bylsma in February.

Bylsma's success has been well documented. He quickly righted a sinking ship, posted an 18-3-4 record over the final 25 regular-season games and pushed the Pens from 10th to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.

But Bylsma's success is clearly the exception, not the rule.

The Penguins changed coaches during the season eight other times in their 41-year history. The changes resulted in a playoff berth only three times.

On one of those three occasions — 1996-97 — when Craig Patrick replaced Eddie Johnston behind the bench, the Pens made the playoffs despite the new coach posting a worse record than his predecessor. Patrick was 7-10-3, Johnston 31-26-5.

In 1999-2000, Herb Brooks replaced Kevin Constantine and posted a 29-23-5 record, then beat Washington in five games before bowing to Philadelphia in six in the conference semifinals.

Ken Schinkel replaced Marc Boileau in 1975-76, went 20-10-7 to reach the playoffs, but lost a preliminary round series to Toronto.

Oddly, Boileau had replaced Schinkel behind the bench only two years earlier, went 14-10-4 after Schinkel went 14-31-5, but fell short of the playoffs.

Other Penguins in-season coaching changes that wound up all about nothing: Schinkel replacing Red Kelly in 1972-73, Craig Patrick replacing Gene Ubriaco in 1989-90, Rick Kehoe replacing Ivan Hlinka in 2001-02 and Therrien replacing Ed Olczyk in 2005-06.

Since 1900, the Pirates changed managers during a season nine times, failing to make postseason play each time. The most recent was Pete Mackanin replacing Lloyd McClendon in 2005.

Danny Murtaugh replaced Bill Virdon for the final month of the 1973 season with the Pirates in the pennant race. Murtaugh was 13-13 down the stretch and the Bucs fell short.

The Steelers, of course, have had only three head coaches since 1969. The last time they changed coaches during a year was 1941, when Bert Bell, Aldo Donelli and Walt Kiesling combined for a 1-9-1 record.

Kiesling and Greasy Neale coached the team in 1943 when the Steelers partnered with the Philadelphia Eagles. Kiesling and Phil Handler joined forces in 1944 when the Steelers and Chicago Cardinals combined.

Then there's the Pittsburgh Maulers.

The 1984 USFL entrant began the year with Joe Pendry as coach, finished it with Ellis Rainsberger calling the shots and wound up 3-15.

Hank Bullough was slated to be the Maulers' coach the next year, but the next year never came.

Bylsma has a couple of next years tacked on to his contract.

A happy ending, indeed.

An ending that bucked the trend as well.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle.