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Ex-Canucks coach Tocchet has a new team and it's the one everyone suspected

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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May 14 2025, 8:45 pm
Ex-Canucks coach Tocchet has a new team and it's the one everyone suspected
Bob Frid/Imagn Images

Rick Tocchet has found a new coaching gig.

The former Vancouver Canucks head coach has been hired by the Philadelphia Flyers, confirming widespread speculation. The Flyers were one of several teams with a coaching vacancy after they fired John Tortorella late in the season.

Rumours linking the Flyers and Tocchet date back several months. The 61-year-old has plenty of ties to the organization, having played 621 of his 1144 NHL games in a Flyers uniform.

“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 Flyers media release.

“I want to thank Danny Briere, Keith Jones, and Dan Hilferty for this honour and opportunity. 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.”

Tocchet was a hot commodity after deciding to part ways with the Canucks, as the Boston Bruins and Seattle Kraken were reportedly finalists for his services.

After serving as Canucks head coach for parts of the last three seasons, Tocchet made the decision to part ways with the organization following the 2024-25 campaign.

“I’m choosing to move on from the Vancouver Canucks,” Tocchet said in a press release shortly after his decision was made public. “Family is a priority, and with my contract lapsing, this becomes the opportune time. While I don’t know where I’m headed, or exactly how this will play out for me over the near term, I feel like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities in and around hockey.”

In his first full season behind Vancouver’s bench in 2023-24, the Canucks had great success, winning the Pacific Division with a 50-23-9 record for 109 points. They regressed in a big way in 2024-25 due to injuries and several off-ice issues, however, missing the postseason by six points.

The Flyers are coming off an ugly season that saw them finish dead last in the Eastern Conference with a 33-39-10 record. Clearly, Flyers GM Danny Briere, who was teammates with Tocchet for a brief time as members of the Phoenix Coyotes, believes this move may be the one to help turn the franchise around. Tocchet is also a former teammate of Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones.

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