It took awhile but at least the Flyers didn’t have to look far to eventually find their next head coach.
On Wednesday, the team hired one of its former star players, Rick Tocchet, as the 25th head coach in Flyers’ history..
Tocchet, who has previously coached three NHL teams (Tampa Bay, Arizona, Vancouver), was recently allowed to leave the Canucks after his contract expired.
The 61-year-old Tocchet will be coming home, in a sense, even though he won all three of his Stanley Cups (one as a player, two as an assistant coach) with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In addition, Tocchet was a teammate of Flyers current president of hockey operations Keith Jones when the two played together for Philadelphia’s 1999-2000 Eastern Conference finalist squad.
Tocchet, a native of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, also has a formidable relationship with another former teammate, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere, from when the two played together with the Coyotes in the late ‘90s.
“I am very happy to welcome Rick Tocchet as our head coach,” said Briere. “During this process it became clear that Rick was the absolute right coach to lead our team. He has enjoyed the highest level of success both as a player and coach.
“Rick’s ability to teach and understand his players, combined with his passion for winning, brings out the best in young players at different stages of their development and has earned the respect and confidence of highly talented All-Stars and veteran players alike.”
Flyers governor Dan Hilferty expressed similar sentiments.
“From the first conversation I had with Rick, it struck me on how deeply he cares about the Philadelphia Flyers, our city and the fans,” said Hilferty. “Rick’s track record speaks for itself. He has not only been successful at different stages of his career, but he has a way of connecting with his players and staff. I strongly believe that he is the ideal person to unite and lead us towards our ultimate goal of building this team into a perennial contender again.”
Tocchet has been a head coach in the National Hockey League for parts of nine seasons. Overall, he has a career record of 286-265-87 in 638 regular season games with the Lightning (2008-10), Coyotes (2017-2021) and Canucks (2022-25).
“We are thrilled to have Rick lead our team into the future,” said Jones. “What is impressive about Rick is that players gravitate towards him and develop a strong relationship in the process. There is a genuine trust that he will do everything he can to bring success to the team.”
In addition to his head coaching experience, Tocchet was an assistant coach for parts of seven seasons. He helped guide the Pittsburgh Penguins to two Stanley Cup championships as an assistant during their back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. He served as an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche (2002-04), Phoenix (2005-06), Tampa Bay (2008-09) and the Penguins (2015-17).
“I’ve always been a Flyer at heart and have taken that passion and energy that embodies this city and organization with me throughout my career,” said Tocchet. “I want to thank Danny Briere, Keith Jones and Dan Hilferty for this honor and opportunity. I couldn’t be more excited to lead this team back among the NHL elite where we belong. We have a lot of work to do and much to accomplish, but I am confident in the direction we are heading and determined to get us there.”
In 11 seasons with the Flyers, Tocchet totaled 232 goals/508 points. For his career, which included stops in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington, Tocchet compiled 1,144 games, 440 goals/952 points. Plus, he totaled 2,970 penalty minutes and had a plus/minus of plus-84.
It is the hope of both Briere and Jones that Tocchet can take the Flyers’ rebuild to the next level. Former coach John Tortorella oversaw that task for three seasons. Some progress was made in the 2022-23 season but the team regressed last season, finishing last in the Metropolitan Division.
A sixth-round pick (121st overall) in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, Tocchet made an immediate impact on the Flyers. He helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1984-85 and again in 1986-87.
“The Flyers helped me become a man,” Tocchet said during his induction speech into the Flyers Hall of Fame in 2021.
No doubt that played a part in Tocchet’s decision to return to Philadelphia.
“I’ll always have Flyers’ blood in me,” Tocchet said. “I don’t care if you go other places, win Cups in other places – the relationships, the people that I’ve met over the years being in the organization, it’s just been incredible.”
Some of the attraction for coming back to the East Coast might have come from Tocchet wanting to be closer to his family.
The task for Tocchet in Philadelphia will not be an easy one.
Philadelphia is in need of at least one premium player at center, some more size and depth on defense and there are still a lot of question marks about the goaltending (Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, Aleksei Kolosov).
On the bright side, Tocchet will have some young talent to work with, including Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink.
Although there will be some pressure to get the Flyers into contention, management knows it’s usually a long, slow process. Even though the Flyers have missed the postseason five straight seasons, Jones and Briere have only been at the helm for two of those.
The important thing is that Tocchet has the ability to develop young, up-and-coming talent. And no doubt he will be well-received by the Flyers’ fan base, especially those supporters who go back to the 1980s when the Flyers were in the midst of a streak of 18 consecutive playoff appearances.
On Wednesday, the team hired one of its former star players, Rick Tocchet, as the 25th head coach in Flyers’ history..
Tocchet, who has previously coached three NHL teams (Tampa Bay, Arizona, Vancouver), was recently allowed to leave the Canucks after his contract expired.
The 61-year-old Tocchet will be coming home, in a sense, even though he won all three of his Stanley Cups (one as a player, two as an assistant coach) with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In addition, Tocchet was a teammate of Flyers current president of hockey operations Keith Jones when the two played together for Philadelphia’s 1999-2000 Eastern Conference finalist squad.
Tocchet, a native of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, also has a formidable relationship with another former teammate, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere, from when the two played together with the Coyotes in the late ‘90s.
“I am very happy to welcome Rick Tocchet as our head coach,” said Briere. “During this process it became clear that Rick was the absolute right coach to lead our team. He has enjoyed the highest level of success both as a player and coach.
“Rick’s ability to teach and understand his players, combined with his passion for winning, brings out the best in young players at different stages of their development and has earned the respect and confidence of highly talented All-Stars and veteran players alike.”
Flyers governor Dan Hilferty expressed similar sentiments.
“From the first conversation I had with Rick, it struck me on how deeply he cares about the Philadelphia Flyers, our city and the fans,” said Hilferty. “Rick’s track record speaks for itself. He has not only been successful at different stages of his career, but he has a way of connecting with his players and staff. I strongly believe that he is the ideal person to unite and lead us towards our ultimate goal of building this team into a perennial contender again.”
Tocchet has been a head coach in the National Hockey League for parts of nine seasons. Overall, he has a career record of 286-265-87 in 638 regular season games with the Lightning (2008-10), Coyotes (2017-2021) and Canucks (2022-25).
“We are thrilled to have Rick lead our team into the future,” said Jones. “What is impressive about Rick is that players gravitate towards him and develop a strong relationship in the process. There is a genuine trust that he will do everything he can to bring success to the team.”
In addition to his head coaching experience, Tocchet was an assistant coach for parts of seven seasons. He helped guide the Pittsburgh Penguins to two Stanley Cup championships as an assistant during their back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. He served as an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche (2002-04), Phoenix (2005-06), Tampa Bay (2008-09) and the Penguins (2015-17).
“I’ve always been a Flyer at heart and have taken that passion and energy that embodies this city and organization with me throughout my career,” said Tocchet. “I want to thank Danny Briere, Keith Jones and Dan Hilferty for this honor and opportunity. I couldn’t be more excited to lead this team back among the NHL elite where we belong. We have a lot of work to do and much to accomplish, but I am confident in the direction we are heading and determined to get us there.”
In 11 seasons with the Flyers, Tocchet totaled 232 goals/508 points. For his career, which included stops in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington, Tocchet compiled 1,144 games, 440 goals/952 points. Plus, he totaled 2,970 penalty minutes and had a plus/minus of plus-84.
It is the hope of both Briere and Jones that Tocchet can take the Flyers’ rebuild to the next level. Former coach John Tortorella oversaw that task for three seasons. Some progress was made in the 2022-23 season but the team regressed last season, finishing last in the Metropolitan Division.
A sixth-round pick (121st overall) in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, Tocchet made an immediate impact on the Flyers. He helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1984-85 and again in 1986-87.
“The Flyers helped me become a man,” Tocchet said during his induction speech into the Flyers Hall of Fame in 2021.
No doubt that played a part in Tocchet’s decision to return to Philadelphia.
“I’ll always have Flyers’ blood in me,” Tocchet said. “I don’t care if you go other places, win Cups in other places – the relationships, the people that I’ve met over the years being in the organization, it’s just been incredible.”
Some of the attraction for coming back to the East Coast might have come from Tocchet wanting to be closer to his family.
The task for Tocchet in Philadelphia will not be an easy one.
Philadelphia is in need of at least one premium player at center, some more size and depth on defense and there are still a lot of question marks about the goaltending (Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, Aleksei Kolosov).
On the bright side, Tocchet will have some young talent to work with, including Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink.
Although there will be some pressure to get the Flyers into contention, management knows it’s usually a long, slow process. Even though the Flyers have missed the postseason five straight seasons, Jones and Briere have only been at the helm for two of those.
The important thing is that Tocchet has the ability to develop young, up-and-coming talent. And no doubt he will be well-received by the Flyers’ fan base, especially those supporters who go back to the 1980s when the Flyers were in the midst of a streak of 18 consecutive playoff appearances.
