Philadelphia Flyers hire Rick Tocchet as coach, turning to alum to end their playoff drought

The Philadelphia Flyers hired Rick Tocchet as their coach Wednesday, hoping his return to the franchise will push them out of an extended rebuild and into playoff contention.

Tocchet spent 2 1/2 seasons in Vancouver and won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2023-24 for guiding the Canucks to a 50-win season and first place in the Pacific Division. He did not have a contract moving forward and decided not to sign another with the Canucks two weeks after they missed the playoffs.

Now 61, Tocchet won the Stanley Cup as an assistant with Pittsburgh in 2016 and ’17 and played more than a decade with Philadelphia in separate stints at the start and end of his career. This is his fourth head-coaching job after time with Tampa Bay, Arizona and Vancouver.

“I couldn’t be more excited to lead this team back among the NHL elite where we belong,” Tocchet said. “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.”

Tocchet takes over less than two months after the Flyers fired John Tortorella with nine games left in another losing season for a franchise that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2020. Brad Shaw finished out the string as interim coach and was considered for the full-time role.

The Flyers are in a rebuild but had modest playoff hopes this season. Instead, they lost 11 of their last 12 games under Tortorella and won only six times over the last 25. Tortorella went 97-107-33 with the Flyers and was fired with one year remaining on his contract.

Philadelphia has one of the longest championship droughts in the NHL, having not won the Stanley Cup since going back to back in 1974 and ’75. Those “Broad Street Bullies” teams have become a cherished part of the franchise’s past but also a reminder of how much time it has been since the Flyers won: They last played in the final in 2010.

The team has a potential star in Russian rookie Matvei Michkov, but years of poor drafting and talent evaluation has largely left the cupboard bare of other prospects and caused leadership changes at the top. They churned through six coaches in 10 years before Tortorella was hired.

Daniel Briere, a former Flyers standout, was named general manager in March 2023 and vowed he would revamp the organization, and another alum, Keith Jones went from broadcaster to president of hockey operations two months later.

Jones and Briere are now the front-office brain trust that ultimately picked Tocchet over Shaw, college national championship-winning Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler and a host of other candidates.

“During this process it became clear that Rick was the absolute right coach to lead our team,” Briere said. “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.”

Tocchet was believed to have multiple suitors among the handful of teams with vacancies but returned to a familiar spot where he wore orange and black for his next coaching challenge. His hire leaves four teams with vacancies behind the bench: Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Seattle; Tocchet to Philadelphia became official hours after the Canucks promoted assistant Adam Foote to succeed him in Vancouver.

“From the first conversation I had with Rick, it struck me on how deeply he cares about the Philadelphia Flyers, our city and the fans,” said Dan Hilferty, chairman and CEO of Comcast Spectacor, which owns the team. “Rick’s track record speaks for itself. He has not only been successful at different stages of his career, but he has a way of connecting with his players and staff. I strongly believe that he is the ideal person to unite and lead us towards our ultimate goal of building this team into a perennial contender again.”

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