5 Takeaways from Rick Tocchet’s Introductory Press Conference

Rick Tocchet and Danny Briere took to the stage on Friday morning for Tocchet’s formal introduction as the 25th head coach in Flyers history. The duo spoke for about 20 minutes regarding the future, how the plan remains the same, and the things that stood out to Tocchet to take the job with the Flyers.

Here are five takeaways.

‘The Plan Doesn’t Change’

Before getting started with questions, Briere made clear in his opening remarks that the Flyers plans for rebuilding are not changing.

“The one thing I want to make clear is the fact that the plan doesn’t change here,” Briere said. “Rick has been part of this before as coach of some young teams, some veteran teams. We see him as the long-term solution for our head coaching position.”

Briere also focused in on the two areas he highlighted at the end of the season: teaching and communication.

“The other part that we touched on before, at my year-end presser, you asked me what we were looking at for a coach. One thing I said was we needed a teacher. I think there’s nobody better than Rick to teach our young guys. I saw it first-hand myself when I came in the league as a 19-20 year-old, I had the chance to play with Rick. He was a mentor to myself and I learned a lot from him. The time he spent on the ice working on his craft, and now he wants to pass that on. 

“The other thing I mentioned was we needed a communicator. That’s one thing Rick Tocchet does is builds relationships. He’s good at it. I talked to a lot of players around the league, players that are still playing, players that are now in management positions, scouting positions, coaching positions around the league. The one thing that kept coming up is how good of a communicator he is with his players especially, and how he builds relationships.”

‘It’s an Attractive Job’

So those were Briere’s reasons for choosing Tocchet. But why did Tocchet want to return to Philadelphia?

“Anything in life you want to check the boxes,” Tocchet said. “Stability? Box checked. Relationships? Box checked. The passion and the area of the fan base? Box checked.” 

Tocchet highlighted the working environment with the Flyers, being in a position to be around other good people in the game and the potential that can be unlocked with the current roster and additional moves to come.

“I’m a big relationship guy. I know just from the past being here, working with good people, I think, makes you successful. So for me, those are the attractive things,” Tocchet said. “Obviously the roster, the team, the potential, the prospect pool, the cap space that’s coming here. There’s a lot of positives for this job. It’s an attractive job. I think it’s one of the best jobs in hockey, and I’m very fortunate to get it.”

‘His Track Record is Pretty Impressive’

As Tocchet joins the Flyers, he joins his fourth team as a head coach. Next season will be his 10th in a head coaching position.

A lot has been made of Tocchet’s record. The numbers are not as standout as the last two permanent head coaches – John Tortorella and Alain Vigneault ranked Top-10 all-time in coaching wins – and Tocchet’s teams have made the playoffs just twice.

But Briere believes Tocchet’s ability to maximize teams that may not have had the talent or been as complete gives him a strong track record as head coach.

“Most people would probably focus on the job he did when he won the Jack Adams a couple years ago. That was quite the turnaround in a short amount of time. It was a really impressive year. For me, when I look at the track record, one of the most impressive parts that stood out was his stint with the Coyotes,” Briere said. “He had a pretty depleted lineup at the time. He made them competitive. They did make the playoffs the one year and in the running. That body of work for me was probably the most impressive part of his coaching. 

“You can’t forget what he did as part of the two Stanley Cups, part of that staff in Pittsburgh, being part of the 4 Nations staff last year, working with some of the best players in the world. His track record is pretty impressive.”

‘It’s Not a Dictatorship’

In the wake of the end of the Tortorella era, how a coach handles his players is certainly a relevant topic around the Flyers. Tocchet has been known to have good relationships with players and has adjusted his approach over the years to adapt to the modern athlete.

“Breaking in as a player, it was a different era. Coaches told you do this and you did it. You were scared to ask why,” Tocchet said. “Now, this generation, they want to know why. They’re smart guys. They want to know why. It’s my job to make them buy into it obviously, but you have to accept that as a coach. 

“I enjoy that. I’m a partner with the players. It’s not a dictatorship. You’re not going to last in this league if you think you can tell these guys what to do every day and have all these types of rules. If you partner up with a player, listen to them – and there’s going to be accountability, don’t get me wrong – that’s my job to steer the ship, but I think it’s important that you let the players steer the ship too.”

An Untapped Talent Pool and Enticing Free Agents

Tocchet joins a Flyers team that, watching the teams actively in the playoffs, seems light years away from being competitive on that level. But is there a way that could change soon?

For one, Tocchet believes that there is plenty of untapped potential within the roster and organizational depth chart.

“I think looking at the roster, there’s a talent pool here that’s untapped,” Tocchet said. “I really believe that. Are we going to strengthen it? Of course. That’s the one thing talking to Danny and [Keith Jones], they’re not shy about. They want to swing the bat. At what time? That’s their job. 

“But whatever I have in front of me right now, play without the puck is something very important to me, being a smart team that doesn’t beat yourself, protecting certain players is something that we can do around here. I feel there’s enough here to get the ball rolling and keep the ball going where these guys have the direction.”

As for Briere, he sees Tocchet as an appealing part of the Flyers future, particularly with free agents, even noting that agents are already calling.

“Rick is going to make us more enticing for players to come here,” Briere said. “There’s already agents calling and letting us know. That’s kudos to him for the relationships and reputation that he’s built over the years. It’s so positive in that regard that there’s no doubt in my mind that yes, it’s going to make us a more attractive team to join.”

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.