"One of my closest friends": Tocchet tight with ex-Canucks coach Green
Former Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green is making his return to Rogers Arena.
Tonight will be the first time in two years that Green coaches an NHL game in Vancouver. Instead of being in his old spot behind the home bench, he’s going to be on the other side, helping out the visiting New Jersey Devils.
The Devils added Green to their staff as an assistant last June. It’s his first NHL coaching job since being fired by the Canucks in December 2021.
Green has a close connection to Rick Tocchet, the man who now holds his old job. While the two never crossed paths inside the Canucks organization, they were teammates on the Arizona Coyotes during the 1999-00 season.
“He’s one of my closest friends. I think he’s a hell of a coach, and I’m glad he’s back in; it’s been a while,” said Tocchet about Green earlier today. “Smart guy, it’s a good acquisition by New Jersey; he has a lot to add. Hopefully he gets another kick at the can. I think he deserves it.”
According to Tocchet, the two coaches often bounce ideas off each other, although they won’t be sharing the finer points of their respective strategies as they get ready to compete tonight.
“I try to talk to him once every week or 10 days. There’s a couple of coaches I talk to just to run ideas, but obviously we’re not talking strategy tonight. There is stuff that we do, possible power plays; he’ll ask me my opinion on a power play, and I’m like, ‘Well, you got the number one power play,’ I should be asking him.”
The Devils are converting 36% of their power play chances, far and away the best mark in the league and Green is the coach in charge of the unit. The Canucks have the fourth-best mark at 27.47%.
Green was head coach for the Canucks from April 2017 until December 2021. The highlight of his tenure came when his team made it to the second round during the 2020 COVID bubble playoffs. Green ended his time with the Canucks with a 133-147-34 record.
The Canucks fired Green, along with former general manager Jim Benning, after an 8-15-2 start to the 2021 season.
“He misses Vancouver,” Tocchet said before making a joke about his good friend. “Likes the restaurants, free meals.”
While the Canucks didn’t win a lot under Green, the now 52-year-old was in charge when a few of the current team’s most crucial players made the transition to the NHL.
“I loved Greener. He gave me the opportunity to become the player I am today. I mean, I had a lot of early-on success my rookie year but struggled my second year, and he always just threw me right back out there, and I never lost my confidence,” said captain Quinn Hughes about his former coach this morning. “I was able to learn from my mistakes, something a lot of defencemen aren’t able to have… I’m where I’m at because I was able to learn and become the player and person I’m supposed to be.”
The puck drops for tonight’s game between the Devils and Canucks at 7 pm PT.