When the Vancouver Canucks hit the ice for training camp next fall, they’ll do so without Jack Adams Award-winning head coach Rick Tocchet.
The club officially announced on Tuesday that Tocchet would not return next season after the two sides failed to come to an agreement on a contract extension.
“After a very long and thorough process, unfortunately Rick has decided to leave the Vancouver Canucks,” Jim Rutherford, the club’s president of hockey operations, said in a media release.
“This is very disappointing news, but we respect Rick’s decision to move to a new chapter in his hockey career. We did everything in our power to keep him, but at the end of the day, Rick felt he needed a change.”
Tocchet joined the Canucks in January 2023, after the club fired Bruce Boudreau.
The following season, he coached the team on a remarkable run that saw them win the Pacific Division and take the Edmonton Oilers to Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs, earning the NHL’s award for most effective coach.
Rutherford praised him as “a good friend, a good coach,” adding, “we can’t thank him enough for all he did for our organization.”
Tocchet thanked the players, coaching staff and management, but said with his contract lapsing, now was the “opportune time” to move on.
“While I don’t know where I’m headed, or exactly how this will play out for me over the near term, I feel like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities in and around hockey,” he said in a statement.
“And to the Canucks fans — your infectious spirit, loyal commitment and will to win kept me and the entire team on our toes. I appreciate how you have made yourselves a driving force in the Canucks community.”
Canucks management have yet to provide details on the hunt for the club’s next bench boss.