Former Vancouver Canucks Coach Sergei Gonchar Finally Reveals Why He Left the Organization
Photo credit: NHL/Pittsburgh Penguins
Former Vancouver Canucks coach Sergei Gonchar revealed recently why he decided to leave the organization this summer after parts of three seasons.
Earlier this summer, the Vancouver Canucks rounded out their coaching staff by naming Kevin Dean, Brett McLean and Scott Young as Assistants, joining Adam Foote, who was promoted to the role of Head Coach in May.
In the team's press release when announcing their new coaches, Patrik Allvin shared that Development Coach Sergei Gonchar was among three that would not be returning to the club next season.
"The team also announced that Assistant Coach Yogi Svejkovsky, Defensive Development Coach Sergei Gonchar, and Video Coach Dylan Crawford will not be returning to the team for the 2025.26 season. The Canucks would like to thank Yogi, Sergei and Dylan for all that they have done for the organization and wish them the best moving forward." the Canucks said.
Former Vancouver Canucks coach Sergei Gonchar reveals why he left the organization
Three months after his departure from the Vancouver Canucks, Sergei Gonchar spoke with Daria Tuboltseva of RG.org about his time with the club and during the interview, revealed why he decided to leave this summer.
Gonchar told Tuboltseva that Adam Foote wanted him to remain with the club on a full-time basis as his Defensive Coach, but he declined, citing family reasons and not wanting to relocate out of their permanent home in Dallas, Texas at this time.
Right now my projects are mostly family-related. I've spoken with one NHL team, but there's nothing concrete yet. The main issue is relocation - teams want you around full time, and at the moment that's not possible." Gonchar said.
When asked if he'd ever want to be a Head Coach in the NHL one day, he replied with, "Why not? It all depends on the stage of life you're in. For now, our family decided to stay in Dallas, without constant travel. But later on, yes - why not."
When asked if he'd ever want to be a Head Coach in the NHL one day, he replied with, "Why not? It all depends on the stage of life you're in. For now, our family decided to stay in Dallas, without constant travel. But later on, yes - why not."
Gonchar, a veteran of over 1,300 NHL games during his playing career, also spoke about also spoke about Rick Tocchet's departure to the Philadelphia Flyers, revealing that he was, but wasn't shocked at the same time, adding that he had a feeling he was going to leave the club.
"It was surprising and not surprising at the same time. Being inside, seeing how things were going, I can't say it was completely out of the blue. I had a feeling it might happen. The season was tough, a lot of things piled up, and Rick also wanted to be closer to his family. That all played a role. As an assistant I could fly back home sometimes, but a head coach can't just leave in the middle of the season." Gonchar said.
It's going to be interesting to see what's next for Gonchar after his time as a Development Coach in Vancouver and given that he doesn't want a full-time role away from his family right now, perhaps there could be a fit with the Dallas Stars, who he spent parts of two seasons with.
Source: Daria Tuboltseva/RG.org
Sergei Gonchar Opens up on Coaching Future, Canucks Exit, And NHL Stars
Sergei Gonchar Opens up on Coaching Future, Canucks Exit, And NHL Stars
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| POLL | ||
AOUT 25 | 1193 ANSWERS Former Vancouver Canucks Coach Sergei Gonchar Finally Reveals Why He Left the Organization Do you think the Vancouver Canucks will miss having Sergei Gonchar as part of their development staff? | ||
| Yes | 766 | 64.2 % |
| No | 427 | 35.8 % |
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