PHILADELPHIA – Rick Tocchet was always upbeat, optimistic as a Flyer player, so why would anyone expect him to be any different as the team’s next coach?
That positive approach was what seemed to come through the most as Tocchet was formally introduced in a Friday press conference at the Wells Fargo Center.
Tocchet, 61, is a realist. He knows the Flyers are still a year or two away from honest contention but that doesn’t mean he can’t set his goals high.
Like maybe ending a five-year playoff drought and catching some people by surprise.
During a half-hour question-and-answer session, Tocchet made it clear he believes he has all the tools to produce a winner – from a growing talent pool to a state-of-the-art training facility.
He said he looks forward to the challenge. That’s one of the reasons he was ready to make Philadelphia his next stop after previous tenures in Tampa Bay, Arizona and Vancouver.
“I was a 19-year-old kid when I came over the Whit Whitman Bridge to play my first game at the Spectrum,” he said with the trace of a grin. “Now I’ve been gone for 20-something years. . .learned a lot as a player, a coach over those years – I’ve been very lucky to get ideas from some of the greatest minds in hockey.”
Tocchet signed a five-year, $26.25-million contract to coach the Flyers. He played in Philadelphia the better part of a decade, so the attraction of “coming home” again had to be somewhat strong.
He believes he’s the right man for the job as the Flyers continue to restructure and bolster their lineup.
Tocchet said the Flyers checked all the boxes for him: Stability, relationships, the passion of the fan base.
“I’m a big relationship guy,” he said. “Working with good people I think makes you sucessful. The roster potential, the prospect pool, the cap space that’s coming here. There are a lot of positives for this job. I think it’s one of the best jobs in hockey. And I’m very fortunate to get it.”
As for the fans, Tocchet simply loves their emotional connection to the team.
“How do not love the Flyer fans?” Tocchet said. “I remember you guys (the Flyers) held the draft I don’t know how many years ago and I was with Pittsburgh at the time. I remember going up to announce the first pick and I got booed and I was like, ‘I love these guys!’ ”
Many season ticketholders in attendance laughed at that one.
“That’s what it means to be a Flyer, right?” Tocchet said. “Heart, passion, winning. Going through this process with (governor) Dan Hilferty, (president Keith) Jones, (GM) Danny (Briere). . .the plan that they had, listening to where they want to go with this roster, it really excited me.”
With the Flyers still in rebuild mode, expectations for the 2025-26 season are still a bit guarded.
“We know it won’t be easy,” Tocchet said. “It doesn’t happen overnight. But it’s my job to develop these players. I take it very seriously to make sure they maximize their talent. I’m happy to be back.”
Briere said he interviewed a number of candidates but gave the impression Tocchet was always a leading, if not the favorite, candidate to win the position.
“He’s coached some younger teams, some veteran teams,” Briere said. “We see him as the long-term solution.”
What qualities did Briere look for in a coach?
“We needed a teacher,” the GM said. “And I think there’s nobody better than Rick to teach our young guys. I saw first-hand when I came in the league as a 19-, 20-year-old. I had the chance to play with Rick and he was a mentor to myself and I learned a lot from him.
“One of things was the time he spent on the ice working on his craft. And now he wants to pass that on, as he has the last few years. I know he wants to do the same for our young team. The other thing I mentioned we needed a communicator. That’s one thing Rick Tocchet does, is he builds relationships. He’s good at it. I talked to a lot of players around the league and the one thing that coming up is how good a communicator he is.”
Tocchet sounds like he can’t wait to get started.
“There are a lot of prospects, a lot of draft picks (three first-rounders this year),” he said. “Untapped talent. I walked around the practice facility (in Voorhees, N.J.). There are so many tools to work with. The practice facility has three sheets of ice. These are things you want as a coach.”
