The Philadelphia Flyers are looking to rebound after losing soundly 4-1 to the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. Their next game was set for Tuesday, on the road against the Vancouver Canucks. This game held extra importance, as this would be Rick Tocchet's return to Vancouver.
Tocchet spent two-and-a-half seasons as Canucks head coach, replacing a fired Bruce Boudreau. This was Tocchet's third tenure as a head coach, and it was his most successful. But after the 2024-25 season, Tocchet and the Canucks parted ways, leading to him taking the head coaching gig with the Flyers.
Ahead of the game, Tocchet was asked about what kind of reaction he'd face from Canucks fans. Tocchet is prepared for all scenarios, whether it's cheered or booed.
Rick Tocchet opens up about return to Vancouver as Flyers coach
“I honestly don't know,” Tocchet said, h/t NHL.com's Kevin Woodley. “I'll have business mode on anyways. Trust me, I played 18 years in the League, I've been booed a lot of places, so it's all right.”
Tocchet had success in his short stint with the Canucks. In his first full season, Tocchet led the team to a 50-23-9 record, where they won the Pacific Division and earned them a spot in the playoffs. The Canucks defeated the Nashville Predators in the first round in six games, but lost in seven games to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. Tocchet won the Jack Adams Award for head coach of the year.
After last season, in which the Canucks missed out on the playoffs by going 38-30-14 and had to deal with the fallout of the J.T. Miller-Elias Pettersson beef, Tocchet was officially a free agent. Ultimately, the two sides opted against a reunion, and Tocchet returned to Philadelphia, where he spent 11-years of his playing career.
Looking back on his time in Vancouver, Tocchet praised the Canucks fanbase for their enthusiasm.
"They show up," said Tocchet, h/t Sportsnet. "I mean, I remember in the playoffs, them chanting people's names. I haven't really heard that much in other buildings. … You know that's a passionate fan base when they're screaming guys names out. That was impressive to me.”
Tocchet helped turn the Canucks around in his short time with the team. Thus far in his first season as head coach with the Flyers, they have made their case as playoff contenders. Through 37 games, the Flyers hold a 19-11-7 record for 45 points, good enough for third place in the Metropolitan Division. It could be considered a surprise, but the Flyers have everything clicking in their favor. Trevor Zegras has been everything the Flyers could have hoped for, as he's their top scorer. Not only that, but they finally hit on goaltender with Dan Vladar.
As for the Canucks, they have begun their process of a rebuild. The team recently traded superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick. Not to mention, team president Jim Rutherford mentioned that the team is looking to get younger and that they were open to trading their players. It's going to be rough for the Canucks, but they are looking to build a more complete roster.
It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction Tocchet gets in his return to Vancouver on Tuesday night. Whatever happens, though, Tocchet expressed his gratitude to their passionate fanbase.