HIGHLIGHTS
- Rick Tocchet out in Vancouver after three seasons
- Tocchet coached 200 regular-season games for Canucks
- Read below for the full story
Rick Tocchet has decided to not return as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks for the upcoming season, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon.
“After a very long and thorough process, unfortunately Rick has decided to leave the Vancouver Canucks,” said president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford. “This is very disappointing news, but we respect Rick’s decision to move to a new chapter in his hockey career. We did everything in our power to keep him, but at the end of the day Rick felt he needed a change. He is a good friend, a good coach, and we can’t thank him enough for all he did for our organization. Toc is a stand-up guy, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Tocchet took over behind the Canucks bench in January of 2023. He coached the Canucks to a 20-12-4 finish in his 36 games for a .611 point percentage, and that carried over into his first full season.
Tocchet won the Jack Adams Award as the Canucks made the second round of the playoffs after going 50-23-9 for 109 points in the 2023-24 season.
However, after a tumultuous year that saw a J.T. Miller – Elias Pettersson rift result in the former being dealt to the Rangers, and a lackluster 38-30-14 record, Tocchet is moving on.
“I’m choosing to move on from the Vancouver Canucks,” said Tocchet. “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.”
Tocchet should have no shortage of suitors as there are plenty of openings around the league. Two of the teams that come to mind are both Pennsylvania squads that Tocchett played for during his career. The Pittsburgh Penguins just let Mike Sullivan go and the Philadelphia Flyers are searching for a coach after firing John Tortorella.
The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers are two other high-profile teams that could use Tocchet’s services with the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, and Seattle Kraken also with coaching vacancies.
