Canucks fire coach Boudreau, hire Tocchet as replacement
Bruce Boudreau has been fired as coach of the Vancouver Canucks, who are again on track to miss the playoffs with another underachieving season. Rick Tocchet was hired as Boudreau's replacement for a Vancouver team that has lost 28 of 46 games this season. Boudreau waved to the crowd after the Canucks' latest defeat Saturday night, their third in the past four games. He's the second coach Vancouver has fired in under 14 months. But a Canucks team in disarray did not give him much of a chance to keep that success going.
wftv.comTocchet won't return as coach of Coyotes after 4 seasons
Coyotes Wild Hockey Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet, standing, watches the game during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, April 14, 2021, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig) (Craig Lassig)GLENDALE, Ariz. — (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes and coach Rick Tocchet have mutually agreed to part ways after four seasons. The announcement Sunday comes a day after the Coyotes missed the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons. “It’s been an honor to coach the Coyotes the past four seasons,” Tocchet said. Tocchet, who played 18 NHL seasons and previously coached at Tampa Bay, went 125-131-34 at Arizona.
wftv.comHats off: Donskoi scores 3 in 1st, Avs beat Coyotes 9-3
Colorado Avalanche right wing Joonas Donskoi reacts after scoring a goal against the Arizona Coyotes in the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, march 31, 2021, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)DENVER – Joonas Donskoi scored three times during Colorado’s five-goal first period, and the Avalanche beat the Arizona Coyotes 9-3 on Wednesday night in front of home fans for the first time this season. To celebrate Donskoi’s accomplishment, fans tossed hats onto the ice — just like old times. Andre Burakovsky and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare also scored in a wild first period that included Arizona goals by Michael Bunting and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. AdGabriel Landeskog finished with two goals, Mikko Rantanen added another and Burakovsky scored his second with 3:11 remaining on an assist by Donskoi.
Throwback 5-game series force players to 'embrace the grind'
In a unique situation like this, youre going from not playing to playing playoff-style hockey, so youve got to embrace the grind mentally, physically.This is a different kind of grind after four-plus months off the ice. Eddie Olczyk won and lost one best-of-five series early in his playing career with Chicago and remembers the nerves of being 18 and 19 years old in those moments. Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour understands that urgency despite being drafted two years after the NHL moved to all best-of-seven series. His Hurricanes face the Rangers, whose president, John Davidson, won the only two best-of-five series he played in with New York. In a short series, Quenneville said, anything can happen.___AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow contributed to this report.