New coach worked with defenseman, forward when Canada assistant at 4 Nations
Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny already have an inside track on Rick Tocchet, and the Philadelphia Flyers defenseman and forward are excited about what the new coach can bring to the fold.
The Flyers hired Tocchet on Wednesday to replace John Tortorella, who was fired March 27. Brad Shaw was interim coach for the final nine games of the season.
Sanheim and Konecny represented Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, where Tocchet was an assistant and helped guide it to the championship.
"Just good interactions, good communicator, easy to talk to ... those were some of the things I came away with," Sanheim said from the 2025 IIHF World Championship on Thursday. "And I've heard nothing but good things about him from guys that have had him. Super excited to get to see what he's all about as a head coach."
Tocchet has won the Stanley Cup three times; as a player with the Penguins in 1992 and as an assistant coach with them in 2016 and 2017.
"He's won before," Sanheim said. "Excited to get going with him and see what he's all about in a head-coaching role and try to take that next step forward that our team is trying to do here over the next couple of seasons."
Tocchet, 61, stepped away from his role as coach of the Vancouver Canucks on April 29. He went 108-65-27 in three seasons and was voted the 2024 Jack Adams Award winner as NHL coach of the year.
"It's great," Konecny said. "Really looking forward to working with him. He seems like a great guy. I've heard nothing but good things. And he's a Flyer. That means something, and he knows that.
"He gets it, I'm sure. It means something to put that jersey on. The city loves their hockey. They love their sports in general. You've got to show up to play every night, and I think that's something that he brought and he's going to instill in the team."
Tocchet played 11 of his 18 NHL seasons for the Flyers, including his first eight and final three, after they chose him in the sixth round (No. 121) of the 1983 NHL Draft. He holds the team record for penalty minutes with 1,815, and his 508 points (232 goals, 276 assists) in 621 games rank 16th.
"With our fan base and the city and what it's all about," Sanheim said, "to have a guy that's been there and done that before ... understands what to expect and what everyone is wanting from our organization and players. I'm sure he's going to embrace that role."
The Flyers (33-39-10) finished 15 points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference and have not qualified for postseason play since 2019-20. The five-season drought matches the longest in team history (1990-94).
They have three selections in the first round of the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft on June 27-28, including the No. 6 pick.
"'Torts' brought a lot of good things to that locker room, and I'm sure a lot of the players moving forward are going to bring some of those things along that he instilled in us," Konecny said. "A lot of good things about being a pro and how you handle yourself every day around the rink. We're excited about having [Tocchet]. Don't know a whole lot at this point but looking forward to get to know more."
Further research come could quick at the World Championship. Canada forward Sidney Crosby had Tocchet as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2014-17. Former Canucks captain Bo Horvat played for Tocchet in 2022-23 before he was traded to the New York Islanders on Jan. 30.
"Obviously (Crosby) had him as an assistant, so it's a little different, but spoke with him briefly last night at dinner about it, and just kind of getting his thoughts," Sanheim said. "Same with other guys. Bo had him for, I think, half a season. Just speaking with different guys, I've heard nothing but good things.
"I think that's exciting for our organization to be able to bring in a guy like that."
