Flyers Name Rick Tocchet 25th Head Coach in Franchise History

Tocchet brings a decade of NHL coaching experience to the Philadelphia bench, including a 286-265-87 record in 638 regular-season games and a .500 postseason record (11-11). Tocchet earned a pair of Stanley Cup rings with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach for Mike Sullivan’s staff in 2016 and 2017. He served as the Vancouver Canucks’ head coach this season.

In 2020, Tocchet guided the Arizona Coyotes to their only playoff appearance since 2012 after winning a qualifying round series against the Nashville Predators. The Coyotes lost to the Colorado Avalanche in Round 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Briere will be looking for Tocchet to return Philadelphia to the postseason for the first time since that same 2020 postseason. In their last playoff appearance, the Flyers reached Round 2 before a seven-game series loss to the New York Islanders. 

The Ontario-born Tocchet, a forward in his playing days, spent seven seasons in Philadelphia between 1984-85 and 1991-92. Tocchet served as Flyers captain in the 1991-92 season before a trade sent him across the state. In Feb. 1992, Tocchet was a key piece of a multi-player trade to the Penguins in exchange for Mark Recchi, which resulted in back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1991 and 1992. Near the end of his career, Tocchet returned to the Flyers in a March 2000 trade for Mikael Renberg. The 35-year-old winger spent two more seasons with Philadelphia and retired with 621 games played, 232 goals, and 208 points over 11 seasons. Tocchet was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame in 2021. 

“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 in a Thursday statement. “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.”