Breakups are never easy. And while the Vancouver Canucks may have presented Rick Tocchet with an attractive compensation package in an effort to retain his services, clearly money alone wasn’t enough for the now former head coach to remain on the job. Tocchet said thanks, but no thanks to the Canucks on Tuesday and now the organization finds itself in a familiar position – somehow looking for its fourth head coach in just 40 months.
Tocchet made the extraordinary decision to walk away from one of only 32 highly-coveted positions of this nature that exist in the National Hockey League. Simply put, he broke up with them.
And while Tocchet may have cited family matters in his remarks in the team-issued press release, it’s clear the reasons ran much deeper than a desire to spend additional time with loved ones.
Tocchet obviously saw the same issues so many do with this roster. There are questions galore up and down the line-up. Just last week, President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford himself stated just how great a challenge he and the hockey club have in front of them in the months ahead of training camp. This management group was hired to build this franchise into a Stanley Cup contender. Right now with this group of forwards that feels like an impossible mission.
But the issues facing the organization these days so obviously extend beyond who will line-up at centre ice on opening night. With organizational dysfunction on display for all to see, it’s fair now to ask just how desirable is Vancouver not only as a free agent destination but for anyone in any role with the hockey club.
The Canucks as a franchise appear stained these days. From the unexplained departure of Rutherford’s first front office hire Derek Clancey after just one season to the countless number of departures on the business side, the Canucks have had issues retaining staff in significant roles. Mike Yeo wanted out to take a similar position as an assistant coach in Ottawa. Seeing green pastures elsewhere and no path to a promotion, Jeremy Colliton bolted after a couple of seasons as the head coach in Abbotsford. Oh, and what ever happened to Ian Clark, the highly-regarded goalie coach who was basically shown the door at the first mention of needing to dial back his on-ice involvement despite a sterling track record of drafting and developing netminders at the highest level?
Might we see Clark resurface with Tocchet wherever he is headed next? That feels like it would sting just a little bit when he was clearly an asset to this organization during his time here. The same can be said about Adam Foote and his contributions.
The Canucks will obviously find someone to be their next head coach. He may already be in the system or perhaps they lure one of the guys they identify and add to their shortlist. Rutherford tried to make light of the imaginary practice facility making the position attractive when he spoke to the media. Like most things with the Canucks these days, the joke landed with a thud.
And so now the process begins again – not only building up a competitive roster, but finding the right person to lead the team into the fight. And hopefully for more than just a season or two. Quinn Hughes deserves better. So do all the veterans that have had to endure such organizational churn in their time here.
The players can’t really be expected to thrive with a new voice behind the bench and new systems in place essentially every other season. It’s on the Canucks to get their house in order so that Vancouver is a city that hockey people want to live in and Rogers Arena is a place hockey people want to work.
The revolving door of the past four seasons clearly hasn’t worked. It’s time for stability and that starts at the top.
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