Canucks: How Rick Tocchet went from panel to bench to Jack Adams Award finalist

Rick Tocchet had comfort and security as a well-respected TNT analyst.

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He left that job for an uncomfortable and uncertain future as head coach in a hockey-mad Vancouver market where every decision and every loss are analyzed in minute detail.

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What was he thinking?

Canucks ownership is impatient. It wants to win now. Fans are frenetic. Social media is their platform to launch bombs.

Did Tocchet really need this? Absolutely.

The fire still burned in the belly of the hockey-lifer because previous head-coaching adventures in Tampa Bay and Arizona resulted in one playoff appearance in six seasons. And that was one round in the 2020 bubble.

Fast-forward and the results in Vancouver have been remarkable.

On Friday, Tocchet was named one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award as the top NHL bench boss this season. He's joined by Rick Bowness of the Winnipeg Jets and Adam Brunette of the Nashville Predators.

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The late Pat Quinn (1992) and Alain Vigneault (2007) are the only Canucks coaches to have captured the prestigious award.

"It's an organizational award (nomination) for me," said Tocchet. "It's the GM, the ownership, the assistant coaches and the players. I'm just a piece of the puzzle. I have a huge support group that helps me.

"That's the way I look at it and, honestly, I'm just focused on the game tonight (Friday)."

After Tocchet supplanted the fired Bruce Boudreau on Jan. 22, 2023, he laid the foundation to become Pacific Division champions with 109 points.

In a demand for fitness, focus and faith, he commanded instant respect as a former dominant NHL winger. And following an off-season of roster change and resolve to create a culture of accountability and credibility, a 26-point improvement over 2022-23 was simply stunning.

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It has propelled Tocchet as the favourite to win the award voted on by the NHL Broadcasters' Association.

In his first 80 games, he amassed a 49-23-8 record to earn league-wide plaudits and an All-Star Game coaching honour.

However, before Tocchet took on the daunting task here, he relied on an enviable hockey Rolodex of confidants, including Wayne Gretzky and Craig Berube.

"Wayne is a close friend and I picked his brain a lot just to get a feel of Vancouver," Tocchet told Postmedia News. "The one advantage of being Wayne's buddy is that he's a real balance guy. He doesn't give you the do and don't, and because he knows me, he just walked me through a lot of things.

"He was very positive. He loves the city, and deep down he might not admit it, but he'd like to see Vancouver do well."

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A new hockey operations department bet on the possibility.

President Jim Rutherford, general manager Patrik Allvin and Tocchet have a Pittsburgh Penguins' past and total devotion to a brighter Canucks' future.

The manner in which Tocchet played has transcended his players. His "non-negotiable" staples call for strict adherence to systems to earn and own the day. And a peek at his past is proof of that as a sixth-round draft choice with a no-quit mantra.

Tocchet captured the Stanley Cup in 1992 with Pittsburgh and two more as a Penguins' assistant coach in 2016 and 2017. He was no picnic to play against. In the 1988-89 season, he led the Flyers in scoring with 96 points (37-59) and piled up a whopping 196 penalty minutes.

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He's in the Flyers' Hall of Fame and holds the franchise record for Gordie Howe Hat-Tricks — goal, assist and fight in a game — with nine. That's right, nine.

"There was a lot of will," said Berube, a former Flyers' teammate and roommate, who guided the St. Louis Blues to the 2019 Cup title. He was never satisfied and never shied away from getting his nose dirty.

"And coaching? Well, he has a world of knowledge and likes to be around the guys."

Tocchet's open-door policy with the Canucks is by design.

It formed a belief and a partnership. It got the combustible J.T. Miller on-board to prove he could be a two-way centre. He responded with a career-high for goals (37) and points (103) to finish ninth in league scoring.

"I watched clips when I was a kid and he's a guy I really respect," Miller said of Tocchet. "He was hard to play against and it's what I'm trying to emulate."

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Brock Boeser became a complete and confident player and rocketed to a career-defining 40 goals. And bruising winger Dakota Joshua, who could have been in jeopardy of losing a roster spot at training camp, reached his potential as a big and commotion-causing winger.

Joshua hit career highs for goals (18), assists (14) and points (32) in just 63 games. He led the team in hits (244) and was a penalty kill presence to see his stock soar. He owes it to the tough Tocchet love.

"This is a business of wins," stressed Joshua. "There are no gifts being handed out and you don't want to let him (Tocchet) or the team down."

Maybe Conor Garland put it best about Tocchet.

"He helped me so much when I was young in Arizona to become the player I am and be patient with me," said the diminutive winger. "I wasn't the easiest to coach. You think scoring goals is all that matters. He taught me to play both sides."

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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