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Sidney Crosby is in a difficult position with the Pittsburgh Penguins' head coach situation. His longtime friend and coach, Mike Sullivan, parted ways with the organization after the season and will now run the bench for the New York Rangers. Rick Tocchet is one of the Penguins' rumored targets. He also has had a good relationship with Crosby since his time as an assistant coach with Pittsburgh. Crosby, as usual, played his cards close to his vest about the situation.
“He did an unbelievable job with us,” Crosby said. “If you really think about it, 10 years is an incredibly long time to coach a team in the NHL. We're fortunate that we made so many great memories with him as our coach.”
An NHL coach has a short shelf life, as the same voice can sometimes become a bit redundant. Sullivan's message might've worn thin, but there was also a difference in opinion about the franchise's future with general manager Kyle Dubas.
Sidney Crosby's connection with Rick Tocchet
Crosby's connection with Tocchet will be discussed well in the lead-up to the Penguins hiring a new coach. The Penguins' captain would never reveal his preference, but he will want someone he is familiar with in his final years. Tocchet fits that description, but whether he is interested in taking over Pittsburgh is unclear.
Crosby wouldn't say whether he wanted Tocchet, as he chose instead to praise his former coach for all the interest he was getting.
“Yes, that is someone I'm familiar with,” Crosby said. “But the thing with him is that he's going to have a ton of teams after him.”
Tocchet mutually agreed to part ways with the Vancouver Canucks organization. It's safe to assume it had something to do with the franchise's direction, similar to the situation in Pittsburgh. Dubas is trying to extend the team's window to make Crosby and the rest of the core happy, but they could be heading toward a rebuild sooner rather than later.
Will Tocchet have any interest in sticking with the Penguins through a rebuild? It would mean that most of his core as an assistant coach wouldn't be there, and the management team would be different. There isn't much of a connection for Tocchet outside of the core, and being a former player in the organization.
