Rick Tocchet barely had a chance to get accustomed to the Pacific time zone when the newly hired Canucks coach wondered what exactly he had just gotten himself into in late January 2023.
Four days and two games into his tenure, Tocchet recalled the feeling of dread he experienced standing on a Vancouver street corner at 3 a.m. after the team returned home from Seattle following a 6-1 loss, in which the coach referred to the Canucks being “soft.”
“I felt like I got hit by a bus,” Tocchet told The Associated Press this week. “And actually, my assistant coach, Sergei Gonchar, pulled me aside and said, `Listen, we just got here. You just got to relax.’”
The memory stands as a moment of validation for Tocchet, who at the time was second-guessing his decision to leave what he called “a nice comfy job” in broadcasting to take on a Canucks team on its third coach in three seasons.
The EPA is again allowing summer sales of higher ethanol gasoline blend, citing global conflicts
COSCO Shipping to bulk up with 80 new vessels
Four China's C919 aircraft to serve during Spring Festival travel rush
China endeavors to keep ancient city of Pingyao alive
JAN MOIR: Another day, another desperate Montecito dollar. This time with jam on it!
In pics: cultural and tourism services exhibition at CIFTIS
Over 70 national IP protection centers under construction or in operation in China
Carriers sanguine on travel season
At playoff time, NHL teams march to the beat of their goaltenders and count on them to save the day
More foreign buyers to participate in Canton Fair as nation expands opening
Man United overhaul under Ratcliffe extends to new technical director
North China's largest freshwater lake reflects conservation benefits