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Rick Tocchet Reportedly Refused to Take Coaching Job With One Specific Original Six Team

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 18, 2025 5:31 PM ET

Rick Tocchet was just hired as the Head Coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, and now, it's been revealed that he refused an interview with the Boston Bruins.

Heading into the 2025 off-season, there were eight teams in the NHL searching for a new Head Coach, and after Rick Tocchet was moved on from the Vancouver Canucks, taking interest from several teams around the league.

In the end, he stuck with the team he knew, becoming the new Head Coach of the Philadelphia Flyers after spending 11 years with the team as a player, being officially announced in the past few days.

Now, a new wrinkle has been revealed in this story, as a report from RG Media has revealed that while the Boston Bruins were considered a contender to land Tocchet, behind the scenes, he refused a meeting with the team.

That was due to Tocchet's concern around General Manager Don Sweeney and his future, as well as his past of quickly firing Head Coaches, with the report coming from sources that confirm those are the two reasons he didn't want to talk to the Original Six franchise.

"His concern with Boston was that the GM maybe has 1-2 years left.
He was concerned for two reasons. Sweeney's status and Sweeney's track record with his head coaches."

On paper, the Bruins are likely a better team than Philadelphia, but with a bright future with the Flyers and the hope of consistency for years to come, that was the decision he made.

As a result, Boston missed out on arguably the best remaining coach in the NHL, and with the likes of David Carle, Joel Quenneville and Mike Sullivan all taking other jobs, their list of potential candidates is shrinking by the day.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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