We have fallen into a trap of mocking NHL teams hiring “recycled” coaches.
Make no mistake, the NHL has a terrible history of firing and hiring the same people over and over again, overlooking better candidates for the sake of safety or a big name.
This got me thinking about the current coaches of the NHL’s best teams. In a roundabout way, it led me to conclude that teams such as the Philadelphia Flyers, the Chicago Blackhawks, and yes, the Pittsburgh Penguins, should be clamoring for Rick Tocchet instead of hunting for the next hotshot coach in every corner of North America and Europe.
Paul Maurice, the coach of the Florida Panthers, is one of the finest coaches in hockey. His Panthers have reached the Stanley Cup Final in two consecutive seasons, winning it all last year. He’s been fired by the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs and coached three different teams before landing in Florida, where he finally won it all. He’s a recycled coach.
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The man Maurice is matching wits with in a very compelling playoff series is Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube. People in Toronto are pretty satisfied with their Leafs these days, as they should be. They look poised to pull off an upset and perhaps to make a legitimate Stanley Cup run under Berube, who is bringing something special to a franchise that needed it. Berube has been fired by the Flyers and the St. Louis Blues. He’s a recycled coach.
One of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, the Dallas Stars, looks very impressive. Peter DeBoer, he of three firings in the past, is their head coach. Sure, they’re loaded with talent, but they don’t look poorly coached, do they?
In the NHL’s post-2005 lockout era, the best teams have been the Penguins, Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings.
Mike Sullivan is widely praised for saving Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin from becoming one-hit wonders and turning them into three-time champions. Joel Quenneville, hired by the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, led the Blackhawks to three championships in six years, the closest thing you’ll see to a dynasty these days. He had previously been fired by the Blues and “parted ways” with the Colorado Avalanche.
Darryl Sutter guided the Kings to the Stanley Cup twice last decade. He had previously been the head coach of the Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks and Blackhawks.
Hotshot coaches win the Stanley Cup, too. I don’t mean to suggest that recycling the same names over and over again is always the way. It clearly is not.
But I wouldn’t dismiss Tocchet because he’s 61, or because he’s never won the Cup as a head coach, or because J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson didn’t get along. And I wouldn’t dismiss him because his teams have qualified for the postseason just twice in his nine seasons as a head coach.
If you’re inclined to say that the aforementioned successful coaches won because of their rosters’ outrageous talent, I’d suggest checking out the 2018-19 Coyotes and telling me what coach would have gotten more out of that team than Tocchet did.
Here’s what I know.
• Sidney Crosby swears by Tocchet. I’ve never heard him speak more highly of a coach.
• Any person who says Tocchet isn’t good with young players should have a chat with Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary or Tom Kuhnhackl. Hear what they have to say about the difference Tocchet made in their careers in Pittsburgh.
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• The Penguins have a toughness problem — physically and mentally. The playoff teams still alive are playing an entirely different sport than the Penguins did this season. They hit each other. They take hits to make plays. They go to the corners. They go to the net. The Penguins don’t do any of those things enough, partially because of their roster but partially because of a coaching philosophy that resulted in a finesse style. Tocchet knows nothing about finesse.
• Tocchet believes in more defensive responsibility than the Penguins have shown in recent years. They badly need this. After the season, Crosby spoke at length about the Penguins needing to be better defensively. I don’t recall him ever bringing it up before, and certainly not with this kind of conviction.
Perhaps Tocchet isn’t the answer to all of the Penguins’ problems. There is no perfect option out there. Maybe the Penguins and Tocchet aren’t a fit right now, despite their mutual affection. The Penguins are rebuilding. Tocchet, league sources said, isn’t interested in a lengthy rebuild. Tocchet and Sullivan are very close, and it could be that they both would prefer that Kyle Dubas press his foot on the accelerator to return to contention.
But look at the other jobs available. Are the Flyers ready to win? How about the Blackhawks? Or the Bruins?
They’re all in a similar spot.
Tocchet is excellent with young players. He’d be a worthy and comfortable final coach for Crosby. He understands the Pittsburgh market better than anyone. And he would not be Sullivan behind the bench. Just because he was Sullivan’s assistant doesn’t mean they’re the same. Tocchet was one of the only assistant coaches to work under Sullivan who wasn’t afraid to push back. That was when the Penguins were at their best.
Tocchet would be an excellent choice to guide these Penguins.
Yes, he’s recycled.
Is that really so bad?
(Photo of Rick Tocchet and Phil Kessel: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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