So, let’s get one thing straight out of the gate. I fucking hate Rick Tocchet. During my formidable years it is when he and Mark Recchi went to the dreaded Penguins. At the time I couldn’t understand, nor comprehend how he could turn his back on the Flyers. From that moment forward I would always destroy his cards with massive hatred in my heart. Nothing was too far when destroying them, not lighter fluid, dangling them above a lit candle, tearing them and throwing them into the garbage disposal, nothing. So, it comes as much of a shock and surprise to me, that I was actually elated when his name was mentioned during the recent head coaching vacancy. I forced myself to put aside childhood’s worth of drama, animosity and terror to understand and actually look at what he could bring to the team. Could this douche canoe of a human being, who turned his back on this organization so many years ago become the guy to rise this organization from the depths of mediocre hockey?

As it turns out, YES! This dude has had his handprints back on some of the most formidable organizations that are around today. If we look directly at his coaching career, and ignore the time he was sent to coaching prison as a favor to the NHL, his stats are pretty good. His time in Tampa was marred in some controversy as his style of coaching wasn’t the players or the organization thought that they wanted. Yet, it established the foundations for their Stanley cup runs and is still something they model today. His time as an assistant coach throughout the league he was only met with players loving him and management trying to shove him out the door so fast that he had cartoon dust behind. Why you might ask? His style of coaching, of meeting the players on their terms. His players are worth giving a damn about! Not just about money, and trying to force guys to play because their contracts say “ Twiddle needs 3 hours of ice time a game!”  Tocchet even said during his presser about wanting to do right to this fanbase, and create something. 

With Lappy down in the AHL, and how his developing some of those young man into machines, who are currently in the AHL semifinals. We now have two very like minded individuals leading our teams. We don’t have the issue of a dilapidated farm system, with nothing coming through. We have a literal boat load of picks, some very good defensive prospects, and some decent scoring ones as well. I digress, Tocchet basically has something he never has had prior a solid foundation, a leadership group who’s actually behind him. Tocchet is also extremely well liked among most of the current free agency class in the NHL. His tenure and jumping around the league has allowed players and agents see who he truly is and what he brings to a team. 

Let’s get something out of the click baiting morons, the defense isn’t wrong with the team. It’s fine for now.  What we are missing is Power Play and Penalty Kill units. Our specials have blown for years, almost a decade we haven’t been able to find something new that works for us. Toc has a chance from being a menace during PK to teach a very young and eager team how to do things the right way.  As much as I want to still hold that anger and loathing inside for Tocchet, I can’t. I have to have some faith in the fact that we drafted him, built him and now hopefully he can return the favor to us and build us.