Rick Tocchet

Lore & Background

Tocchet was drafted in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1983 and returned to the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for another year, registering 108 points.

He joined the Flyers for the 1984–85 season, scoring 39 points and helping the team reach the 1985 Stanley Cup Final. Initially known as a fighter, he developed into a respected power forward and team leader, recording 18 Gordie Howe hat tricks during his career, the most in NHL history. He had memorable fights with Wendel Clark and Cam Neely.

In 1992, Tocchet was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins with Kjell Samuelsson and Ken Wregget for Mark Recchi. He scored 19 points in 14 playoff games, helping the Penguins repeat as Stanley Cup champions. He later played for the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, and Phoenix Coyotes.

He was part of a blockbuster trade from the Bruins to the Capitals on March 1, 1997, involving Adam Oates and Bill Ranford. He signed a three-year contract with the Coyotes on July 8, 1997, and later returned to the Flyers in a trade on March 8, 2000. He retired after the 2001–02 season as one of several NHL players with 400 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes.

Tocchet's coaching career began as an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche in 2002–03. He served as interim head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes in December 2005 while Wayne Gretzky was on leave.

He later became head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Arizona Coyotes, and Vancouver Canucks. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2024 after leading the Canucks to the Pacific Division title. He was named head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers on May 14, 2025.

Reader's Guide

Rick Tocchet's significance lies in his dual career as a physical, productive power forward and a successful NHL coach. As a player, he was a four-time All-Star who amassed 400 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes, a rare combination shared only with players like Brendan Shanahan and Gary Roberts. His 18 Gordie Howe hat tricks remain an NHL record, underscoring his ability to combine scoring, fighting, and playmaking. He won the Stanley Cup as a player with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 and later as an assistant coach with the same team in 2016 and 2017.

As a coach, Tocchet earned the Jack Adams Award in 2024 after guiding the Vancouver Canucks to a Pacific Division title and a second-round playoff appearance. His coaching tenure also included stints with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Arizona Coyotes, and Philadelphia Flyers.

Off the ice, Tocchet was involved in a gambling investigation known as Operation Slapshot, which led to a guilty plea for conspiracy and promoting gambling in 2007 and a two-year probation sentence. The NHL later imposed conditions on his return to the league. He also worked as a studio analyst for TNT's hockey coverage beginning in 2021.