Stockholm – Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny already have an interior track on Rick Tocchet, and the defender of the Philadelphia flyers and the front are enthusiastic by what the new coach can bring to the fold.
The flyers hired tocchet on Wednesday to replace John Tortorella, who was dismissed on March 27. Brad Shaw was acting coach for the last nine games of the season.
Sanheim and Konecny represented Canada during the confrontation of the 4 nations in February, where Tocchet was assistant and helped to guide him to the championship.
“Just good interactions, a good communicator, easy to talk about … These are some of the things I left,” Sanheim said the IIHF 2025 world championship on Thursday. “And I am only heard of good things about him who had it. Super excited to see what it is as a chief coach.”
Tocchet won the Stanley Cup three times; As a Penguins player in 1992 and as an assistant coach with them in 2016 and 2017.
“He earned before,” said Sanheim. “Excited to go with him and see what it is in a role of head coaching and try to take the next step before our team tries to take here in the next seasons.”
Tocchet, 61, moved away from his role as coach of the Vancouver cannucks on April 29. He went 108-65-27 in three seasons and was elected winner of the Jack Adams 2024 prize as a NHL year coach.
“It’s great,” said Konecny. “I can’t wait to work with him. He seems to be a great guy. I only heard good things. And it’s a leaflet. It means something, and he knows it.
“He understands, I’m sure. It means something to put this jersey. The city likes their hockey. They like their sports in general. You have to present yourself every night, and I think it is something he has brought and he will instill in the team.”
Tocchet played 11 of his 18 seasons in the NHL for the Flyers, including his first eight and last three, after having chosen him in the sixth round (n ° 121) of the NHL recovery of the 1983. He holds the team record for the penalty minutes with 1,815, and his 508 points (232 goals, 276 assists) in 621 games.
“With our fans’ base and the city and what it is,” said Sanheim, “to have a guy who was there and who did this before … understands what to expect and what everyone wants our organization and our players. I am sure he will adopt this role.”
The Flyers (33-39-10) finished 15 points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second joker in the Séries of the Stanley Cup of the Eastern Conference and did not qualify for the post-season game since 2019-20. The five-season drought corresponds to the longest in the history of the team (1990-1994).
They have three selections in the first round of the NHL Upper Deck 2025 on June 27 to 28, including choice n ° 6.
“” Tortes “has brought a lot of good things to this locker room, and I am sure that many players in the future will bring some of these things that it has instilled in us,” said Konecny. “Many good things about being a pro and how you manage yourself every day around the ice. We are delighted to have (knockout). I don’t know much at this stage, but we can’t wait to know more.”
Additional research could go quickly to the world championship. Canada striker Sidney Crosby had tocchet as a Pittsburgh Penguins assistant from 2014 to 2014. The former Captain of Canucks Bo Horvat played for Tocchet in 2022-2010 before being exchanged at the Islanders in New York on January 30.
“Obviously, (Crosby) had it as an assistant, so it’s a little different, but he spoke briefly with him last night to dinner, and it is enough to receive his thoughts,” said Sanheim. “Same thing with the other guys. Bo had had it, I think, half a season. I only speak with different guys, I only heard good things.
“I think it’s exciting for our organization to be able to bring a guy like that.”
