Why Rick Tocchet Emulates Old School & New School NHL Coaches
The name Rick Tocchet had invoked the same memories for decades. Philadelphia Flyers fans glorified the gritty playoff runs of the 1980s, reacquiring the valued veteran in 2000, and the…
The name Rick Tocchet had invoked the same memories for decades. Philadelphia Flyers fans glorified the gritty playoff runs of the 1980s, reacquiring the valued veteran in 2000, and the constant intensity of the franchise’s all-time leader in penalty minutes.
The first-year Flyers bench boss dropped the gloves with some of the best fighters in NHL history during his playing career. The old school toughness, however, isn’t the defining characteristic of his coaching style.
When Tocchet joined The Preston & Steve Show at Camp Out For Hunger, he explained relationships with the old school coaches and the new school coaches who have helped shape his personal style.
Old School NHL Coaches
Mike Keenan began his first season as an NHL head coach in 1984-85, Tocchet’s rookie season with the Flyers. Even while Preston – a St. Louis Blues fan – rooted against the intense old school style, Keenan’s relentless fire pushed the Flyers to the farthest limits of their talent.
The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup in two of Keenan's four seasons in Philadelphia with Tocchet as a unique team leader who could score goals and battle with the toughest enforcers of a brutally physical NHL era. Only the legendary Edmonton Oilers dynasty led by Wayne Gretzky stopped the Flyers from the sport's ultimate prize in 1985 and 1987.
Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell /AllsportTocchet joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 with the opportunity to play for another grizzled old school coach. Scotty Bowman – arguably the greatest head coach in NHL history – won his sixth of nine Stanley Cups in Tocchet's first season with the Penguins.
Does Tocchet emulate his two former coaches with Stanley Cups on their resumes and enough toughness to make the emerging Gen Z-ers of the modern NHL tremble?
“The old school coaches, Keenan, Scotty Bowman, legendary guys, I shouldn’t say they couldn’t coach nowadays. They would probably change a little bit of their ways. You can’t coach (like you did) 20 years ago like (you do) now. No chance. I’ve learned a lot from them, but I’ve also learned from the new school guys.”
New School NHL Coaches
Why wouldn’t the style of the best coach in NHL history work for the 2025-26 Flyers?
Modern NHL coaches have to prioritize handling each player individually with personalized instruction more than Mike Keenan or Scotty Bowman would’ve had to consider in past eras.
Tocchet will also coach on Team Canada’s staff for the 2026 Winter Olympics. A star-studded cast of new school coaches will squeeze onto the Canadian bench.
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images“Jon Cooper, Pete DeBoer, and Bruce Cassidy, very successful coaches on other teams, it’s great to hang out with these guys. We had a summit there in Calgary this summer, and just to pick their brain and ask them what they would do. ‘Hey, how do you handle a star player this way?’ or ‘How do you handle a guy that’s not playing?’”
Cooper, the head coach of Team Canada and the Tampa Bay Lightning, has guided an All-Star roster to two championships in the most dominant era in Tampa’s franchise history. Cassidy led the Vegas Golden Knights to the Cup in 2023, and DeBoer has coached in five of the last six Western Conference Finals.
The Flyers chose Tocchet based on his track record as an NHL lifer. He earned respect as a player, an assistant coach, a head coach, and a popular member of the organization’s alumni. He earned a glowing reputation among star players he's coached in past stops.
Tocchet worked closely with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as an assistant coach under Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh for their back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. He additionally developed a relationship with star winger Phil Kessel that helped pave the way for head coaching opportunities. Quinn Hughes similarly admires Tocchet after their time spent together with the Vancouver Canucks.
The variety of experiences and success stories have shaped his attitude about constant learning.
“I’m always learning, trying to coach. You have to reinvent yourself too every year, I think. You can’t be the same guy.”
