Rick Tocchet was hired as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.
He replaces John Tortorella, who was fired March 27. Brad Shaw served as interim coach for the final nine games of the season.
Tocchet spent the past three seasons as coach of the Vancouver Canucks, going 108-65-27. The 61-year-old opted to step away from that position on April 29.
“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,” Tocchet said. “I want to thank [general manager] Danny Briere, [president of hockey operations] Keith Jones and [governor] 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.”
The Flyers finished 33-39-10 this season, 15 points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. It’s the fifth straight season they failed to qualify, matching the longest streak in franchise history (1990-94). They have three selections in the first round of the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft on June 27-28, including the No. 6 pick.
“I am very happy to welcome Rick Tocchet as our head coach,” Briere said. “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.”
The Canucks (38-30-14) finished six points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card in the Western Conference. That came after Vancouver was 50-23-9, won the Pacific Division and reached the second round of the playoffs last season, and Tocchet was voted the Jack Adams Award winner as NHL coach of the year.
Vancouver had an option for the final season of Tocchet’s contract.
“We will not exercise the team option for him to stay,” president Jim Rutherford said April 21. “We don’t feel it’s right to have somebody here that may have his mind somewhere else.”
The Canucks promoted assistant Adam Foote to replace Tocchet earlier Wednesday.
In nine seasons as coach of the Canucks, Arizona Coyotes (2017-21) and Tampa Bay Lightning (2008-10), Tocchet is 286-265-87. He also helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup as an assistant in 2016 and 2017.
Tocchet was selected by the Flyers in sixth round (No. 121) of the 1983 NHL Draft and he played 11 of his 18 NHL seasons as a forward for Philadelphia, including his first eight and his final three. His 1,815 penalty minutes are the most in team history, and his 508 points (232 goals, 276 assists) in 621 games are 16th.
Tocchet and Flyers president Keith Jones were teammates with Philadelphia in 2000-01, and Tocchet and Flyers general manager Daniel Briere were teammates for three seasons with the Coyotes (1997-2000).
“We are thrilled to have Rick lead our team into the future,” Jones said. “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.”
Two teams still have coaching openings — the Penguins and Seattle Kraken. In addition, the Boston Bruins (Joe Sacco) and Chicago Blackhawks (Anders Sorensen) finished the season with interim coaches.
