The Vancouver Canucks have made the worst-kept secret in hockey official. Rick Tocchet has been hired as head coach to replace the outgoing Bruce Boudreau, per a team release Sunday. Former NHL defensemen Adam Foote and Sergei Gonchar have also been added to the coaching staff, replacing assistant Trent Cull.
Foote directly replaces Cull as an assistant coach, and he’ll complement assistants Jason King and Mike Yeo and goalie coach Ian Clark on Tocchet’s staff. Gonchar was brought in as a “defensive development coach,” and it’s unclear whether he’ll be behind the bench for regular game action.
Tocchet replaces Boudreau, one of the most well-respected coaches in NHL history. Boudreau coached just 103 games with the Canucks, however, and finished with a 50-40-13 record. After finishing the 2021-22 season in Vancouver with a great pace of 32-15-10, the Canucks have just a .424 points percentage in 2022-23 and sit well out of the Western Conference playoff picture.
Boudreau’s departure from the Canucks organization is viewed as one of the ugliest in recent history by many, with many details of the veteran coach’s impending firing being leaked to the media throughout the decision-making process. The 68-year-old was visibly emotional as he coached his last games with the Canucks this week and received an outpouring of support from Canucks fans in the process.
Tocchet is now brought into a highly complex situation in Vancouver, where he serves as the 21st head coach in franchise history. In 438 games as an NHL head coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2008-2010) and Arizona Coyotes (2017-2021), he has a record of 178-200-60 and just one playoff appearance with Arizona in 2020.
General manager Patrik Allvin had the following statement on Tocchet’s hiring:
Rick Tocchet brings a wealth of knowledge to this team from both a coach and player perspective. He has had more than two decades of coaching experience, guiding teams of various styles. As a player, he displayed a high level of character, grit and intensity, while recording impressive offensive numbers.
Foote and Gonchar are some of the best defensemen in NHL history. They are obviously very targeted hirings by the Canucks organization to plug the defensive holes that have existed on their roster for the past number of years. However, their coaching experience is somewhat limited.
Foote coached midget hockey for a time in the 2010s but most recently served as the head coach of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets for two seasons from 2018 to 2020. His only NHL front office experience consists of four seasons as a development consultant for the Colorado Avalanche, from 2013 to 2017.
Gonchar, 48, did spend five years as a coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was a defensive development coach there as well from 2015 to 2017, during the team’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. He was then on staff as an assistant coach for three years from 2017 to 2020. He’s since served in various coaching capacities with the Russian national team.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
I think Rick and Gonch are both great coaches but you can’t get blood from a stone.
Tocchet can’t “bad cop” a soft team into not being soft. The average Canuck weighs 168 pounds. They are a roller hockey team.
I get that he trusts Jimmy and vice versa but it’s not going to work and the know nothing owner will bounce both before too too long.
Canucks built a mediocre roster and keep firing coaches. Lost all respect for Rutherford. He destroyed Carolina and isn’t doing anything to help Vancouver.
That organization is an absolute dumpster fire!!! From the owner on down to Rutherford and the GM. Absolutely disgusting what they did to Bruce Boudreau!!!
Agreed. Bruce is one of the classiest, most likable guys in hockey, and Francesco Aquilini treated him worse than a popcorn vendor. I sincerely hope Vancouver ends in last place in the league, then loses the draft lottery. And I hope their longest ever Stanley Cup drought continues.
And here we (some of us) thought the damage to the shield by the Mickey Mouse operation in AZ was bad, only to be relegated to a distant second by Vancouver and their reprehensible treatment of Gabby. I’m sure many of us would love to see him get hired again by a decent organization, but those are long odds right now, especially thanks to media honks already declaring this was his last coaching gig.
Giving thumbs up to @66TheNumberOfTheBest, @amk1920, and @rdiddy75.
I think Gabby may end up back in the Washington organization. We love him, and it’s time to let the bad memories of 2010-11 go. I doubt he’d retire, he loves the game too much. We’ll see.
@KRB—Let’s hope that happens. He’s one of the best.
Bruce was in tears Saturday night knowing he got the money. Time to retire.
as a Kings fan, I hated Foote when he was playing. I still remember a fan yelling during a game “He’s not a foot, he’s a dick!” Lol
I bet u that J.T.Miller and some others will not play great under Tocchet…To hard on these so called professionals… time to trade for guys that Tocchet likes…
I see some similarities between kessel and jt
Nah man Kessel doesn’t care he does what he want and goes out and plays. Miller is a fake tough guy who’s too emotional. Smh I can’t believe they gave him that money instead of their CAPTAIN
Everyone thought Rick had suddenly become a coach because he was able to be a buffer for Kessel in Pittsburgh.
The handling of this was atrocious
Vancouver management was unprofessional with this coaching change, what a mess of an organization. Wish Bruce the best.
If Tocchet had any class, he would have walked away from this idiotic Vancouver dumpster fire while this humiliation of Bruce played out.
I think it’s less a matter of Tocchet’s class than this: what guy who was (a) decent and (b) had an actual resume would take that job? This is an organization that’s playing Russian roulette with coaches, and we can plainly see that they’re real happy with defenestrating coaches the moment they stop winning. It doesn’t matter if Tocchet goes on a massive run; he’s toast all the same if Vancouver goes zero-for-October next season. Never mind that Rutherford has a screw loose: he just pitched a coach with one of the highest winning percentages in hockey history for someone who’s won jack and sh**.
Tocchet needed to get away from Biz nasty on the panel
Only the Canucks would announce hiring a new coach practically before they bothered to fire their current, well-qualified and incredibly classy head coach. And quite honestly Tocchet should be a bit ashamed of himself.
I really don’t get why Tocchet is considered for any head coach vacancy. He’s a good assistant coach, but that’s where it ends for him.
Ah, I see the Titanic has some new deck chairs today!
They just rearranged what they already had but put a new purser in charge.
I don’t understand why they think replacing Boudreau with Tocchet is an upgrade.
OEL must be thrilled!….
What a gamble!
Hey, Aquilini might have made the right move here. Canucks should be trying to lose in a stacked draft year
Ugly jerseys and an ugly ownership. Hope fans stop coming and send the message this crap won’t be tolerated
The owner wants some playoffs dates every year. If team is always in middle fine with him. Wonder how long till Miller and tocchet clash. Bo horvat goes to bed every night. thinking is today the day. I finally get too leave this joke of team. secretly he probably so glad he did not sign . They choose Miller instead.
It’s amazing how bad of a spot Vancouver was in and yet somehow Jim Rutherford managed to come in and make it worst. Man should’ve faded into the history books after winning rings off of teams other guys built.
Funny how it seems like the good coaches and execs get just as short of leashes as the bad ones do in the NHL…
How has Jason King survived 3 coaches now? What does he do?
Good Luck RIck Tocc