Canucks hearth coach Boudreau, rent Tocchet as alternative
Bruce Boudreau has been fired as coach of the Vancouver Canucks, who’re once more on monitor to overlook the playoffs with one other underachieving season.
The workforce introduced the change Sunday, lower than per week since president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford mentioned “main surgical procedure” was wanted to repair the Canucks, who’ve solely made the playoffs as soon as previously eight years. Rick Tocchet was employed as Boudreau’s alternative for a Vancouver workforce that has misplaced 28 of 46 video games this season.
“This was not a simple choice to make however one which we felt was mandatory for this franchise,” normal supervisor Patrik Allvin mentioned in an announcement thanking Boudreau for his contributions.
Boudreau waved to the gang after the Canucks’ latest defeat Saturday night time, their third previously 4 video games. Chants of “Bruce, there it’s!” to the tune of Tag Crew’s “Whoomp! (There It Is)” echoed across the enviornment as a tribute to the well-respected 68-year-old hockey lifer who ranks among the many prime regular-season coaches in NHL historical past.
He is the second coach Vancouver has fired in underneath 14 months. Boudreau took over in December 2021 when earlier coach Travis Inexperienced and normal supervisor Jim Benning have been let go 25 video games into final season.
Assistant Trent Cull was additionally relieved of his duties, the workforce mentioned Sunday. Adam Foote was named as an assistant and Sergei Gonchar a defensive improvement coach on Tocchet’s employees.
Tocchet beforehand coached the Tampa Bay Lightning for components of two seasons from 2008-10 and the Arizona Coyotes for 4 years from 2017-21. He gained the Stanley Cup as a participant with the Pittsburgh Penguins after which twice as an assistant for them.
“Rick Tocchet brings a wealth of data to this workforce from each a coach and participant perspective,” Allvin mentioned. “He has had greater than 20 years of teaching expertise, guiding groups of varied types.”
The Canucks have missed the playoffs the previous two seasons since reaching the second spherical within the COVID-19 bubble in 2020.
Boudreau was together with his fourth NHL group after stints with Washington, Anaheim and Minnesota. He gained the Jack Adams Award as coach of the 12 months in 2007-08 when he was elevated from the minors to teach the Capitals on Thanksgiving and received them to the playoffs.
Groups coached by Boudreau for a full season have made the playoffs 9 out of 10 occasions. His .626 factors share ranks fourth amongst coaches with no less than 500 video games behind the bench, and his 617 wins are tied for twentieth in league historical past.
However a Canucks workforce in disarray didn’t give him a lot of an opportunity to maintain that success going. Rutherford in a information convention Monday mentioned massive modifications could be coming within the offseason, citing the necessity for the workforce to get youthful.
They may occur earlier than that, particularly with captain Bo Horvat unsigned past this season and attracting consideration forward of the March 3 commerce deadline.
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