Canucks coach had two stints in Philadelphia as a player, remains among Flyers franchise leaders in several statistical categories
Canucks coach had two stints in Philadelphia as a player, remains among Flyers franchise leaders in several statistical categories
When the Vancouver Canucks face the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Centre, the game is sure to stir up memories and emotions for head coach Rick Tocchet. Tocchet was a sixth round pick of the Flyers in the 1983 NHL Draft and went on to play 621 of his 1144 NHL regular season games in black and orange.
In fact, Tocchet both opened and closed his NHL career in Philadelphia. He broke into the league as a 20-year-old rookie in 1984 and remained with the Flyers until 1992. He had a 45-goal season in 1988-89 and followed that up with a 37-goal and 96-point campaign the following year and was named Flyers MVP that season.
After stops in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington and Phoenix, Tocchet came full circle and returned to Philadelphia at the 2000 trade deadline. He spent parts of his final three seasons with the organization that drafted and developed him.
Along the way, Tocchet endeared himself to Flyers fans embodying the way they like their hockey to be played on Broad Street: rough and rugged. To this day, Tocchet remains among the Flyers franchise leaders in a number of statistical categories:
*He tops the list of all-time Flyers penalty minutes (1815)
*He is tied with Mark Recchi for 12th in franchise goals with 232
*He 15th in points with 508 and 14th with 64 power play goals as a Flyer
Tocchet also holds the distinction of ranking high among all-time Flyers in a number of playoff categories:
*He is 10th in post-season goals with 27 and points with 60
*He is 11th in all-time post-season appearances with 95 as a Flyer
*He is second only to Dave 'The Hammer' Schultz in franchise playoff penalty minutes with 349
Tuesday will not be the first time Tocchet has returned to Philadelphia as an NHL head coach. And it won't be the first time he's coached against the Flyers with the Canucks. Elias Pettersson had five points in a 6-2 win at Rogers Arena on February 18th -- a month into Tocchet's tenure behind the Vancouver bench.
RECENT ARTICLES: