Rick Tocchet Set To Become Next Head Coach Of Arizona Coyotes

UPDATE (7/11): The Coyotes have made it official.  Tocchet has signed a multi-year contract to become the 18th head coach in franchise history.

7/6: After Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted a connection between the Arizona Coyotes and Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet this morning, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet now reports that the two sides are working on a four-year deal to bring him in as the next head coach of the team. 

With the team recently moving on from long-time head coach Dave Tippett, they moved quickly to fill the vacancy. Tocchet has strong ties to the Coyotes, having played for them for three years as an assistant captain, and even worked as an assistant coach in the past alongside Wayne Gretzky.

Of course, Tocchet’s time with the the Coyotes was marred by a legal scandal that eventually ended with him pleading guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling. He was sentenced to two years of probation and was banned from hockey for a time.

With that behind him, Tocchet returned to hockey and was eventually installed as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning after a mid-season firing of Barry Melrose. Tocchet would last just one more full season with the team before seeing the door himself, only to have to wait several years before getting another job with the Penguins in 2014.

For the past three seasons he’s worked with Mike Johnston and Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh, winning the Stanley Cup in back to back years. He’ll now get a chance to bring a disappointing team back to grace, and try to help save a franchise that has an uncertain future. The Coyotes, led by now sole-owner Andrew Barroway and 28-year old GM John Chayka, have made clear “win now” moves this summer by bringing in Niklas Hjalmarsson, Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta. Moving on from their old guard, this season represents a chance in philosophy and expectations.

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