The Philadelphia Flyers have employed Rick Tocchet because the twenty fifth head coach in franchise historical past as Flyers normal supervisor Daniel Briere has secured the 2024 Jack Adams Award winner to be his membership’s new chief behind the bench.
The 61-year-old head coach returns to the franchise that drafted him within the sixth round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. It was additionally the crew with which he completed his enjoying profession in 2001-02. “I’m very glad to welcome Rick Tocchet as our head coach,” said Briere. “Throughout this course of, it turned clear that Rick was absolutely the proper coach to steer our crew.”
🔶 WELCOME HOME, TOCC! 🔶
We’re proud to announce that Rick Tocchet has been named the twenty fifth head coach in franchise historical past. https://t.co/pY0ljNFtoq
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 14, 2025
Tocchet brings a decade of NHL coaching experience to the Philadelphia bench, together with a 286-265-87 file in 638 regular-season video games and a .500 postseason file (11-11). Tocchet earned a pair of Stanley Cup rings with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach for Mike Sullivan’s workers in 2016 and 2017. He served because the Vancouver Canucks’ head coach this season.
In 2020, Tocchet guided the Arizona Coyotes to their solely playoff look since 2012 after profitable a qualifying spherical collection towards the Nashville Predators. The Coyotes misplaced to the Colorado Avalanche in Spherical 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Briere can be in search of Tocchet to return Philadelphia to the postseason for the primary time since that very same 2020 postseason. Of their final playoff look, the Flyers reached Spherical 2 earlier than a seven-game collection loss to the New York Islanders.
The Ontario-born Tocchet, a ahead in his enjoying days, spent seven seasons in Philadelphia between 1984-85 and 1991-92. Tocchet served as Flyers captain within the 1991-92 season earlier than a commerce despatched him throughout the state. In Feb. 1992, Tocchet was a key piece of a multi-player trade to the Penguins in trade for Mark Recchi, which resulted in back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1991 and 1992. Close to the top of his profession, Tocchet returned to the Flyers in a March 2000 commerce for Mikael Renberg. The 35-year-old winger spent two extra seasons with Philadelphia and retired with 621 video games performed, 232 targets, and 208 factors over 11 seasons. Tocchet was inducted into the Flyers Corridor of Fame in 2021.
Associated: How Rick Tocchet’s Taking part in Days Form His Teaching Model
“I’ve at all times been a Flyer at coronary heart and have taken that keenness and vitality that embodies this metropolis and group with me all through my profession,” Tocchet mentioned in a Thursday assertion. “I couldn’t be extra excited to steer this crew again among the many NHL elite the place we belong. We’ve loads of work to do and far to perform, however I’m assured within the route we’re heading and decided to get us there.”
