Rick Tocchet on induction to Flyers Hall of Fame, playing with Mario Lemieux | After Hours

Ron thank you very much Rick toet has the Vancouver Canucks off and running this season uh probably deserved a better fate tonight uh but we're pleased to have you alongside former teammate Louis de brus before that a former combatant and we're going to get to all that in a second first though uh Louis the difficult ending to tonight's game I mean Valiant effort you guys hung with a real fast team back-to-back situation but the way it ended kind of left a bitter taste in your mouth I know the GU

stood on the bench for a long time um your take on them yeah I mean listen Lou I I remember I worked for TNT and I was Donnie karki is a buddy of mine and I said I can ref I can ref and this that there's no way I can ref in these games no chance it's it's hard it's hard these guys are trying it's hard you know do they make mistakes yeah do we feel we deserved better yeah but that doesn't mean you know that these guys aren't trying and they're not good refs but they buckled down to get that poin

t against the team that looked like they were in control once the two Power Play Goals but you have to be happy with the resolve of your team I'm proud about you know we had that 14 game or 14-day road trip come back basically one day off had to play St Louis you know who were playing well and then we play the Rangers and put that kind of effort so I'm really excited about the indentity these guys are trying to build around here so uh I mean it's listen there's a lot of games left but you got to

be proud of the guys but three out of a possible Four Points in the space of 24 hours so that's pretty good but uh with the games out of the way I can think of no better way to start this program them with this walk down memory [Applause] Lane this is being left for about 30 seconds Here Comes L I think L there he comes there he comes well Louie said this morning that you got the first 15 and and then it was his I wasn't lying he got 15 in there he did say that now it's my turn Okay Lou the Gen

esis of that scrap yeah well listen Ted green came in and said to Kelly buckberg or Craig Mavish myself go there and check the line you guys were unbelievable and so all night long Kelly buckberg is telling me just go after talking he's a goal scorer he doesn't want to fight anymore well you proved to a young guy pretty early in his career don't ever grab the tail of an old Tiger or older tiger because I'll tell you what there was still a lot of fight in that game right there and I learned the h

ard way that was fun but I'll tell you I I think I got five grand for one that helmet there you go that's what you get I got five grand for that that bucket anything hel extra yeah yeah uh the irony is that you two became teammates friends and in fact roommates yeah here's the picture to prove it hey and you know what that was Tak that was taken a week ago no I need another boot talk look at the look at the body on Lou this guy used to curl 110 lb weights about am I right though that was cooking

eggs at night right there yeah like but I need another boot Lou is the best omelet maker I've ever had am I right though yeah was omet at night I didn't want to get all the splatter so but then look at the arms on Lou remember the 110 110 P Lou just go anytime saw me come in there he was just left he put me through the ringer that was back in Phoenix when I first started doing the radio and I worked out with him every day and I dropped what 40 pounds in the first 20 months from working out with

him so I need another one okay just before we leave your relationship uh something that's often overlooked and it shouldn't be is that the two of you in your NHL careers between you scored 446 goals Rick had 440 of them but who's counting yeah yeah yeah that's right Ricky you scored a lot uh and you played a very hard game in fact you're one of the reasons the term power forward was even invented uh in the late 80s and early 90s now you're smart enough to know that not everyone can play the gam

e the way you did but if there's one thing that you can't abide by it seems it's soft you danced around that word and that loss to uh the flyers in Philadelphia at the start of the road trip what is it about soft that you hate so much yeah I mean I got it I didn't mean it like soft in the sense it's to me it's like getting in front of people you don't have to kill people you don't have to check like Hammer people yeah would you like a great hit yeah it's just get in front of people and um sacrif

icing a little bit of your game sometimes to get in front and I that's why I'm really excited about our team I'm seeing that more and more every game you know guys that that probably don't do it regularly are doing it more and eff the best teams look at Vegas they're The Benchmark right they are hard to play against they're always in your way you know you can't move move you know your your skates are always pointed they're never pointed North right you're going this way this way because they're

always in front of you they're always you know McKing you and stuff like that so I think to win the Stanley Cup you have to play that style and obviously a little bit extra motivation when you go back to Philadelphia I mean you're a legend in Philly that's a place for that game you were a little bit extra up for that one Hall of Famer and all that so that's kind of a place you don't want to see your team play that kind of a game yeah the point is that loss had to sting even more because it happe

ned in Philadelphia yeah I know Keith Jones was a buddy of mine he's a president he came down before the game and you know he was you know you know saying we're going to beat you and stuff like that but yeah it's one of those things but if you look at that game since then every game we've improved so y it is what it is uh we have some video of you being inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame two years ago with Paul hrun what did it mean to you to be honored in this way I think you were actually m

oving here at some point but anyway it's um it's an amazing accomplishment for not just I love the Flyers the what Ed Snider the great Ed Snider he brought that family atmosphere probably the closest team I've ever been to that first five years Dave Pullin uh Timmy Kerr Brad M the lak Brad mcer Mark how those guys taught me the game um what what it was to be a leader or you know and be selfless so um I give him a lot of credit you know who knows I go somewhere else I don't know I just know that

going to the Flyers really helped my career it was a great match you playing for the Flyers the way they played you were perfect for that system Jordan Savage asks Rick has the most gorty how hat tricks in NHL history that's a goal and assistant in a fight and I think you got 18 um or had 18 yeah how does he think he would Faire in today's game and how in his view does a team stay gritty and difficult to play against in the modern age well you got to skate today's game I don't know if I can skat

e like these guys but uh know the the one thing the way the the way the know the the calls and stuff like that you know they they're I'd be in front of the time like that's the one thing you know there's not like back in Kenny Dano Scott Stevens Chris prong you go in front of the net it was like a battle now you can get there and guys are the rules you can't cross check as hard you can't box out as hard so you know I'd probably be around the net a lot so I don't have to I don't have to skate up

and down the ice some of the young guys maybe gave away some Secrets they didn't want to when I talked to them earlier in the year but they said you talk about going into the pressure when someone's coming in to hit you you want your guys meeting that contact not going away from you know is that part of being hard to play against yeah I mean I that's our tagline you meet pressure with pressure get into somebody you know you know Sydney Crosby's the best right when he gets somebody on his back hi

s heart rate's the same you know you know the the great players when they get that Puck and some you you got the guy in your back they make plays sometimes you know players get a little antsy the guy on you and they throw pucks away so that's why I was talking about like meet pressure with pressure yeah 1992 you're traded to Philadelphia's arch rival Pittsburgh Penguins where you uh playing on a line with Mario and Kevin Stevens you won the Stanley Cup first couple of shifts with Mario you dumpe

d it in and he said what true story he I dumped it in first couple of shifts and he looks at first of all he looks at me he doesn't say anything then I did it again he goes hey this isn't Philly we hang this is Pittsburgh we hang on the puck we got yogger we got Joey Mullen Ronnie Fran like we got an All-Star team and I go yeah so I I got it you know now I started hold another Puck a little bit more 9 one of the greatest uh natural talents ever to play the game which leads us to some of the tale

nts you're coaching here in Vancouver so we'll start with Alias Pon where does he rate on the talent scale of all the players you've been associated with in your 40 years in the game yeah he's climbing the ladder you know he's uh he's added that 200 foot game uh he's penley killing obviously power play um can pass as good as anybody in the league you know his trajectory he's just going high it's got a real drive too right yeah he he he wants to be the best you know and he's uh you know he's tire

d of losing right and he uh he wants to do something about it so uh and he is what about this guy Quin hes yeah hug made your captain I mean this guy's really turned it up a notch hasn't he he's a he's a true hockey nerd loves the game of hockey look look at his family you know I mean it's incredible the family how they play um he's been a he's just been a terrific guy to work with he worked out this summer you know he was great walking the blind before but he's if you watch tonight there's a co

uple of plays that he makes that he walks the ball he he he was on the ice I bet you he took two or three weeks off in the summer and then he's one of those guys that skates all summer and he was working on working on uh Blue Line packages like amazing reps that he does Hughes had 76 points last season and he's picked up where he left off uh nonetheless a lot of experts are of the opinion that for an undersized defenseman he can get his points but he's a defensive liability there are no stats wh

atsoever to support that so the question is um why doesn't he get the respect he deserves he he you know he's got a chip on his shoulder he can defend footy uh Adam foot the great uh or D coach he puts him out there against the best players and uh I don't know I don't always go by plus minus but he hel he holds his own and he he defends a different way you know other you know bigger defense they squash plays differently he just uses it with his speed his quickness and his brains and that's why h

e's a a great defender you don't grow up with three hockey brothers and not be competitive either those guys battle all the time they they battle all the time yeah who's gonna you know and you know Jersey's starting to play really well and they're you know they're going like so he wants to you know he wants to get this team going where they can be as good as Jersey okay let's get Lou to the overall Fitness level of the Vancouver connects you know something you talk and yours to a degree yeah yea

h I need mine definitely back engaged but I got to get on the program again but you came in last year one of your emphasis was making sure guys were in shape and there was a lot of that hard practices going right to the end putting the time in the right places when you sent them away in the summer you said this same thing and it seemed like from the way you're playing right now guys came ready to play yeah to play the style to win you got to be in shape you know and um I felt you know this team'

s been out of the playoffs for a lot of years four months you got you cannot come into CH camp in okay shape okay is not good enough and uh you know set the gauntlet down and and most of the guys came in really good shape our practices are tough but they're they're Fair um and they've embraced it you know the leadership group's done a nice job of the message right the you know the message it's just not the coach's voice it's the players voice and I think that they've done a nice job you ever bee

n in a POS down with Louis well you saw the picture well here's another one look look at look look at the back oh my God there's debras weighing in a de brisk 200 34 lb about 45 lbs lighter than I am right now so I need to get back to that I'm definitely a superher play ping pong on that back oh my God uh before you took this job Rick you had a giant safety net it was called TV Louie yeah you know the big question I mean obviously it's it's got to be in your blood cuz you were waiting for that o

pportunity to come back but you had this great job you're were doing an awesome job on the panel by the way but when this one came along there you are um what made you decide to get back into the action why was it the right time you know what uh to stay in the game you know and in a different perspective I watch a lot of hockey um TNT is incredible the way they they promote the way like just the they they want everything done organically right and then obviously working with gretz was awesome Bi

z I mean he's the best right I mean he's been to the HR office about a million times when I was there but uh and Liam and answer Carter terrific they they really helped me through it um but it was it was just a it was a fun I'll tell you what it was tough you know when I they were approaching me Vancouver that was a tough job to leave because it was a fun job you know like you guys have having fun oh it's a blast one more thing about your working TV and it has to do with your departure from TNT

uh Biz Paul Beet uh you quickly learned there's nothing that he won't do on television include including uh saying goodbye to you in song accompanied by Henrik lanquist on guitar it's not a a lesson learned in time it's something unpredictable but in the end it's right I had time job un unbelievable yeah you know he's so talented that guy you know and uh he does a great job he really is he's he's good for TV he is he's knowledgeable too like I I I told real quick I remember about the two months

in I go Biz you got to give a like a serious side too that you know the game because you know he plays the clown all the time but he does know the game he does know the game so here's a timely question from the honch uh he's asking about taking over a team like Vancouver that gets a lot of media attention um do you keep up with what the media is saying and and this is timely because you you came from TNT yeah I mean I I don't like read it U you know I don't read it all the time um they've been f

air you know I know this Market they want a winner they're tough you know and uh you know you got to be careful it can get negative but you have to be careful as a coach you can't get negative and and you know you just got to handle yourself with some some class and I thought I think the mus have been great you know and it's uh this team wants to start to win so I get it the fan base to well you want your players to execute you want them to play hard but obviously there's more to a head coach's

job than just demanding they do that so Med wolf 27 asks uh player coach versus authority figure he says he knows it's not an original question but he imagin you'd have an interesting take yeah I think it's a partnership as a player um as a coach I mean um the dictator St dictatorship doesn't work you know I think 10 15 years ago you could kind of rule that iron fist I think now Iron Mike in Philadelphia Iron Mike yeah yeah he was yeah actually he actually helped me so but yeah you Mike couldn't

you'd have to change his ways obviously some other coaches but you got to have a partnership you know you have to have constant meetings I have meetings all the time and actually I'm wrong sometimes they'll come in and I'll hey we're going to do this hey why don't we try this and it's like hey man you're right I I think it's okay to do that it's okay to as a coach to show your little vulnerable but they also have to know that you know I got to make the final decisions but um they've been been g

reat that way and as a head coach I I I don't you don't want to change even though as assistant coach to head coach I try to be similar like just because you have a a name tag I go back to saying even as a player talk playing with you you're the same way you could talk to anybody you weren't afraid to ruffle a few feathers from time to time tell someone they need to do something and that's carried over into your coaching career well I think this goes to how skillfully you managed uh the traffic

on the Pittsburgh Power Play when you were Mike Sullivan's assistant between Malin and kessle was that kind of like getting a degree in Human Resources management I just don't want to laugh right here it's uh listen these guys are champions and champions are gonna fight and there's gonna be there's Phil I want the puck give me the puck and look look at kunet lapping yeah and you know this is this is classic Phil but it it was so much fun coaching like being on the you know as an assistant coach

they they're Champions and uh there was a lot of combatant they with each other but the next night they're at dinner together and they're hugging each other so I I I have a lot of respect for that team 2017 Pittsburgh run to the cup you're getting ready for game seven against Washington in round two and Phil kessle made a bet with you so Phil's on the he's on on the all the guys are playing soccer stretching Phil doesn't stretch right so he's sitting on the um you know the the trainers case what

ever and we're talking and he goes uh he looked at the Trin bar you know that Trin bar they have Washington he goes I bet you you can't even do three for it I said I guarantee I can do 10 he goes I bet you 200 I go bet you 300 so I went I took my jacket off and I Lou I would have bet against you I crank crank so but he called the whole team over so all the guys around me watching they're counting and I I got the last one in Easy Phil went got the money gave me 300 put in my pocket I go in the co

ach to he goes where where you been he goes I thought you went to get a coffee he goes no I just made 300 bucks and we end up and we end up win we end up winning the game so I think the count was 16 wasn't it chin-ups in your suit maybe something like that well it was it was yeah but I kind of stopped but but I was Trust me that that was tough to get it you know 13 14 I think it was like 13 14 be honest with you Brad McMan passed away in that Yus lavel locomotive plane crash in September of 2011

Louie follow up well I remember hearing the stories about this guy you know when we played together you talked about him a lot what did he mean to your career I know you said earlier that he showed you how to play the game how probably the the the greatest team i' ever had um you know get emotionally even talking about this guy um coming to the every day like he would teach me and first of all I live with him for a little bit too he took me in just to be a pro you know I remember I remember the

true story my third year I had the long hair I think I scored 20 goals I thought it was somebody Kenan we were supposed to have a day off right and he says no day off so I'm putting my skates on I'm bitching right and I remember bra kman hits me like this he goes hey what's your dad do he's a mechanic what do you think he would do right now goes get out there and skate and stuff like like I had my tail between so I was pretty upset like you know tail between leg in uh in in in practice so I rem

ember was taking a shower after practice and he goes he used to call me this uh affection I'm not going to say it on here but he'd say come on let's go we're going for lunch and him and Marco took me for lunch after they gave it to me didn't say one word about that whole incident they just talked about whatever and that's the type of guy he was you know he just was an incredible uh generous guy so those 730 a.m. runs the road work he'd have to run two miles in Under 12 minutes and he'd make you

do it twice so it was uh we went out one night actually and it was uh we got home late and this was uh you know this is BR kman it was like 2: in the morning I remember like I'm I'm going to blow off the Run we were supposed to run you know in the summer came in my room knocked him because I was living him he goes let's go we're going to run I said oh can't we go later no so we had to run and we ran and I remember that was the thing it didn't matter if you went out or not you show up the next mo

rning and he did that's the type of guy he was let's talk about your family you and your former wife Lynn have one son Trevor who has I think graduated now from RPI ransler Polytech Institute yep uh where he played varsity lacrosse he's a software engineer uh he interned on the therof Fisher Scientific data protection engineering team and later worked with the RPI alumni team on algorithmic trading projects Rick those are words you'd never hear in a hockey show can't imagine though how proud you

and Lynn are of him well that all those things that you just said didn't come from me I'll tell you that yeah he's incredible incredible kid has a job lives in Seattle I see him a lot drives down he's at the game he at the game tonight so I'll see him later but yeah incredible kid and uh the future's right with him awesome all right here's another picture for the ages uh this goes to 2016 when you took the cup well actually that one is 2017 I think when you won the cup Trevor was there to hoist

it with you so obviously a picture for the ages and then another one uh this goes back to 2016 when you took the cup to the Markham home for seniors where your late father natal was living what does this picture mean to you yeah it was in um yeah he had Alzheimer's but what a that guy got me in the HL you know he was a blue collar mechanic and um every waking day he would he would drive me to the rink he'd work all day you know you'd go home pick me up and and you know take me to practice so uh

man you guys are good man you guys are going to get me crying here in a second geez I love I love hockey K can but man you guys are killing me here yeah he means a lot to me and my mom that just a incredible people fortunado talkad passed away in 2018 yes all right let's end this pictorial Essay with a high note uh there was a time in Philadelphia when you and the late Peter zzle were known as heartthrobs and there's the evidence yeah uh every once in a while I get that on a text with my buddie

s just to put me in my place that that's not the greatest poster I don't think oh man striking a pose he look at the hair y the hair hey you had the hair going back I did I had the I had the mullet I had the mullet yeah they I had a lot of hair back in the day Louie final question yeah you know what just uh moving forward you just uh you have this team going it seems right now what's the key to just keeping them on that same page and doing the things they're doing right now to be successful well

you know like I said the players doing a great job you know I'm just trying to steer the ship and they're handling a lot of the load um this is a great organization to work for the the fans are great and the city's awesome like it's you know right one favorite cities to come to um and it's you know it's kind of fun right now because I think fans are starting to believe in a little bit we're doing but we got a long way to go I mean it was it eight games like we there's so many games left and the

re's going to be some ups and downs and it's how we handle it how do we handle the adversity like tonight little bit adversity so how do we handle it in practice and for our next game I'll finish with this we get a ton of tweets of people wanting to ask you questions there was a bunch of them tonight about the city of Vancouver what most about this city appeals to you oh it's it's uh it's such a walkable City that the sights uh it's a beautiful scenery I mean that seaw wall during a beautiful da

y I mean everybody in Vancouver out walk and I'd have to say it's just s the restaurants are incredible and you can walk everywhere and people are very friendly and the like I said the food's great I got to watch it luk I got to watch it too much Sushi's great too Sushi's great around here absolutely all right Rick thanks for being really appreciate your time tonight as we go to break one more look at the flex picture that's just too good not to see again talk head coach of the Canucks has got t

hem heading in the right direction back to conclude proceedings in a [Music] moment