The Philadelphia Flyers introduced their 25th head coach in franchise history today as Rick Tocchet has his introductory press conference. The Flyers are still rebuilding, as Flyers GM Danny Briere made that clear, as he stated that hiring Tocchet doesn’t change the rebuild phase that they’re in.
1.) The Flyers’ power play/assistant coaches
When asking Tocchet about assistant coaches and how to address the power play, Tocchet stated, “We got some things we’re already looking at. The power plays a strategic point. It’s something we’re going to have to dive into. We have some good people that we’ll take a look at. Some guys on this team have to unleash.”
With Briere, he stated at the end of the season pressers that the power play did improve slightly, but this is something he wants to see make actual strides. Briere touched on more details surrounding the assistant coaches, such as, “We’re gathering names. It’s not easy. The good thing is Rick has had great success with the power play himself. We don’t have a name for the position yet.”
2.) The rebuild
At the end of last season, after the firing of John Tortorella, Briere said that this was the bottom of the rebuild. Today, after introducing Tocchet, Briere shared his status regarding the rebuild:
“It’s part of the building blocks. We had to go through what we did the last couple of years, and it was tough and frustrating at times, and we’re trying to be patient. Now it feels like we’re adding on (building blocks) instead of removing them. That makes us a more attractive and better team to make the next level. Rick said it when he was on stage, we don’t know where it will go next, but we want this team to start getting better and taking the proper steps. The first step will be making the playoffs, hopefully a contender, and winning the Stanley Cup.”
3.) Players finding out
The Flyers posted a video of Danny Briere calling captain Sean Couturier to tell him the news of the hiring of Rick Tocchet. Briere touched on whether other players were informed,
“There are a few players around the rink that I’ve talked to, but I haven’t had the chance to spend too much time. Some of our leaders, like Konecny, Sanheim, and Forester, are at the World Championships, so I try to be careful with the time change, too. I haven’t had the chance to speak to too many players. I’m not worried about that. It’s going to be positive with his reputation. I’m sure these guys are all calling their friends who have played for Rick. It’s so positive the connections that he creates with everybody.”
4.) Just hiring a former Flyer
Many Flyers fans have been creating a narrative that the Flyers only hired Tocchet because he is a former Flyer. President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones clarified why Tocchet was hired. Jones said, “He was the best available coach. He’s one of the topic coaches in the league. The fact that he knows the area and recognizes how important our fanbase is to us is a huge plus, but it’s not why he’s here. Rick’s not about himself. Rick’s about getting the most out of everybody. He was like that as a player, so knowing him inside out matters, but the fact that he played for the Flyers had nothing to do with why we hired him here.”
Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
