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Sergei Gonchar Shows His True Colours Towards Ex-Head Coach Rick Tocchet's Departure From the Canucks
Photo credit: NHL
Former Assistant Coach Sergei Gonchar recently shared his thoughts on Rick Tocchet's departure from the organization after parts of three seasons behind the bench.
At the end of April, two weeks after the Vancouver Canucks' season came to a close, Rick Tocchet made the decision to move on and not sign a new contract with the organization, leaving Patrik Allvin to conduct a coaching search on top of trying to fix the team's roster in hopes of returning to the postseason next spring.
Tocchet would go on to be hired by the Philadelphia Flyers, the team who drafted him back in 1983 and would spend parts of 11 seasons with, revealing in his introductory press conference that the lack of a practice facility in Vancouver played a role in his departure.
A lot has been said about Rick Tocchet's departure, but someone that knows him very well - Sergei Gonchar - recently shared his thoughts on the matter in an interview with RG.org.
Sergei Gonchar shares his thoughts on Rick Tocchet's departure from Vancouver Canucks
Gonchar recently sat down with Daria Tuboltseva of RG.org to discuss his time with the Vancouver Canucks and his plans going forward, with the former Assistant Coach also sharing his opinion on Rick Tocchet leaving the club to join the Philadelphia Flyers.
The long-time NHL defenseman said that he wasn't too surprised by his former colleague's decision to leave the Vancouver Canucks, adding that he had a feeling it would happen at the conclusion of the season and that Tocchet wanted to be closer to his family.
"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.
Tocchet has a big challenge ahead of him in Philadelphia as he looks to guide the Flyers back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020 and will do so with a roster featuring Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Trevor Zegras, among others.
The former Canucks Head Coach will make his return to Vancouver, and likely get a warm reception from those in attendance at Rogers Arena, on Tuesday, December 30th at 7 pm PT.
Source: RG.org/Daria Tuboltseva
Sergei Gonchar Opens up on Coaching Future, Canucks Exit, And NHL Stars
Sergei Gonchar Opens up on Coaching Future, Canucks Exit, And NHL Stars
| POLL | ||
AOUT 24 | 2278 ANSWERS Sergei Gonchar Shows His True Colours Towards Ex-Head Coach Rick Tocchet's Departure From the Canucks Do you think Rick Tocchet should've stayed with the Vancouver Canucks? | ||
| Yes | 850 | 37.3 % |
| No, it was time to move on | 1428 | 62.7 % |
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