Wayne Gretzky's son Ty Gretzky drops two-word reaction to Ex-Canucks HC Rick Tocchet reportedly signing with Flyers

Ty Gretzky - son of Wayne Gretzky - reacted to the news about Rick Tocchet and the Flyers. On Wednesday, Ty shared a post from hockeyforever on Instagram. The post said the Philadelphia Flyers are hiring Rick Tocchet as their 25th head coach. Ty added a short message:

"Let's go realrocket22," Ty Gretzky wrote.

Ty Gretzky hyped Rick Tocchet following his reported hiring as the Philadelphia Flyers's HC. (Credits: IG/@tygretzky)

Rick Tocchet is close to joining the Flyers, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. The deal is not official yet, but it could be soon. Tocchet — who left the Vancouver Canucks on Apr. 29 — was working as a panelist on NHL on TNT while looking for his next coaching job.

The veteran coach had a strong record with the Canucks:

108-65-27 overall record after taking over on Jan. 22, 2023
A 50-23-9 season in 2023-24, leading Vancouver to the playoffs for the first time in four years.
Won the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award for best NHL coach.

Rick Tocchet knows the Flyers well: 508 of his 952 career points in 621 games in Philadelphia and the team captain in the 1991-92 season. He played for other teams - including the Penguins - where he won the Stanley Cup in 1992.

As a coach, Tocchet has led the Lightning and the Coyotes. He also worked as an assistant with the Penguins and Avalanche. Furthermore, he got to coach on the international stage as the assistant coach for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Philadelphia Flyers finished the 2024-25 season with a 33-39-10 record and missed the playoffs for the fifth year. The team let go of coach John Tortorella with nine games left. Rick Tocchet is now a top candidate for the job and would be the 25th head coach in Flyers history.

Rick Tocchet set to join Flyers as head coach, turns down Kraken’s 5-year offer

Rick Tocchet is close to joining the Philadelphia Flyers as head coach. He started his NHL career with the Flyers in 1984. ESPN’s John Buccigross reported the news and Postmedia confirmed it. Tocchet recently coached the Vancouver Canucks but turned down a contract extension.

Reports say he had concerns about team leadership and Quinn Hughes's future. Hughes may want to play with his brothers on the Devils. Tocchet also spoke with the Ducks, Bruins, and Kraken. Seattle offered him a five-year deal.

Still, he chose the Flyers, likely due to stability and a past connection with team president Keith Jones. Rick Tocchet and Jones were teammates. The Canucks announced that Adam Foote will take over as their new head coach.

About the author

Ankit is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with over 3 years of experience in the writing industry. He has expertise in sports, product, and travel content writing. His interest in ice hockey was piqued after watching Sidney Crosby play and he has been passionately following the game since then. Ankit admires Crosby’s personality and hockey IQ, and when he crossed the 1,500 points tally, Ankit was among the biggest fans to celebrate the occasion.

An Edmonton Oilers fan because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Ankit also admires the Pittsburgh Penguins due to Crosby and the Colorado Avalanche for Nathan MacKinnon. He is also a fan of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Language, Ankit believes his education has helped him develop a knack for presenting information in a precise and compelling manner. He only sources information from credible avenues and trusted people from his network for his articles.

When he is not watching or writing about the NHL, Ankit loves listening to music and reading books.

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Edited by William Paul