Philadelphia Flyers fans are hardened.
Missing the playoffs the last five seasons will do that. Ditto the fact the Flyers have won just one playoff series in the last 13 years. Or that they haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1975.
So the news Wednesday that Rick Tocchet, who once starred for Philadelphia as a player, was named the Flyers’ new coach didn’t send people scurrying to buy season tickets.
Instead, the appointment was treated with so-so reviews.
In the first 10 hours of a poll on X that had more than 800 responders, 40 percent said they loved the hire, 41 percent said it was “meh,” and 19 percent said they hated it.
“We will be saying told you so after Rick is fired in three years and Danny (Briere, the GM) and Keith (Jones, the club president) can go with him,” said one fan, explaining that fan favorites “don’t make good coaches.”
Some fans said they were tired of “recycled” former Flyers in key management positions.
That said, “outsiders” like Peter Laviolette, Dave Hakstol, Alain Vigneault and John Tortorella didn’t have a lot of success in Philly, either. Of those coaches, Laviolette had the best record (.586 points percentage), and he got the Flyers to the 2010 Stanley Cup final.
Tocchet, now 61, was one of the Flyers’ most popular players in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Bleeds Orange And Black
And make no mistake, if a person’s love for the organization is a barometer, Tocchet will also excel as a coach in Philly.
“I’ve always been a Flyer at heart,” Tocchet said in a news release after taking the job.
He has to convince the fans he can turn things around. The Flyers finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference this season.
“I hope he doesn’t come in with a ‘goon it up’ mindset like other past Flyers coaches have,” one fan said on X.
“Love the story, but not sure if he’s actually a good coach,” said someone else.
Some others were excited by Tocchet’s appointment.
“Best Flyers news in years,” tweeted a fan. “Need to get back the mojo and be hard to play against. This if awesome. Love Tocchet!”
Another fan tweeted that Tocchet, owner of a 286-265-87 coaching record with Tampa Bay, Arizona and Vancouver, as going “home” by returning to Philly. “Toughness, athleticism, leadership,” he said. “He embodies what the Flyers used to be and what they can be again!”
Revered As A Player
As a Flyers player, Tocchet was adored.
What was not to like? He was scrappy and he frequently lit the lamp. As a Flyers analyst on Comcast Sportsnet, Tocchet was applauded for his honesty.
Tocchet, selected in the sixth round of the 1983 NHL draft, excelled with the Flyers.
After managing 14 goals in each of his first two seasons in Philadelphia, he became one of the NHL’s most dependable right wingers, scoring 21, 31, 45, 37 and 40 goals in his next five seasons. All told, he scored 232 goals (tied for 12th in franchise history) in parts of 11 seasons with the Flyers, including three years at the end of his career.
He finished with 440 career goals for six teams but spent the bulk of his career with the Orange and Black, including a stint as the captain. Tocchet scored 130 of his goals on the power play, and he will be looking to help the Flyers improve dramatically in that area.
Tocchet, who won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins – one as a player, two as an assistant coach – will need major help from the front office if the Flyers are going to end their playoff drought.
The Flyers should have a No. 1 center, a dependable goalie and a defenseman on their wish list.
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