Rick Tocchet Claps Back at Canucks Fans Calling Him a 'Quitter'
Photo credit: CBS News
Canucks fans have been taking to social media calling Rick Tocchet a quitter since he left their team, and he recently clapped back at them with a response.
Having parted ways with the Vancouver Canucks and signed with the Philadelphia Flyers shortly thereafter, Rick Tocchet has been called a quitter by many outraged Canucks followers.
Tocchet, 61, asserts he is not. While he understands the outrage, he takes pains to assert the tale is false. In fact, his exit was far more nuanced than fans may appreciate.
"I understand it. I can explain to them I'm not a quitter, but I understand where they're coming from. Sometimes in life, Rick, you have decisions you got to make," Tocchet told Rick Dhaliwal in an interview on "Donnie & Dhali" Tuesday. "You hit the crossroads and you gotta go right or left. Sometimes, you make the right decision and sometimes you don't. You got to go with your conviction.
"It wasn't a quit thing. It was just something I felt, for me, to evolve and just in my life, this was the right decision. And there's other things, I'm not going to dive into it, but I just feel like this was the time."
"It wasn't a quit thing. It was just something I felt, for me, to evolve and just in my life, this was the right decision. And there's other things, I'm not going to dive into it, but I just feel like this was the time."
Fans need to realize that the Canucks allowed Tocchet to shop around
Tocchet's contract with Vancouver expired, but Vancouver kept an option to extend it. Instead of taking advantage of that option, the team allowed him to shop around, effectively making his way out without forcing him to stay.
Ultimately, the two teams were heading in opposite directions, and Tocchet opted to return to Philadelphia, a city where he previously excelled as a player, to start anew with the Flyers.
In spite of the criticism on social media, Tocchet departed with class, singing the praises of Vancouver and its supporters, even as the majority faulted him for a subpar 2024-25 season that went awry.
"But I understand. They're a passionate fanbase, they want a winner," Tocchet continued. "You want to be in a pressure cooker, because if you can win in that town, the rewards are just... If you won the Stanley Cup, of all the 32 teams, I would say the top three or four cities, Vancouver is in one of them if you won the Stanley Cup. How they would react in the celebration, the aura, I just can't even put it into words. We went to the second round, Game 7, I couldn't believe what I saw inside the city. I couldn't even imagine winning a Stanley Cup there. I couldn't imagine it."
While a few supporters wished him luck and thanked him, the overarching sentiment was one of criticism. Nevertheless, Tocchet proceeds unfazed.
"He quit and ran to the lowest pressure job he could find," wrote a fan.
In Philadelphia, he'll be responsible for shepherding the team's young core and re-establishing the organization as a contender through intelligent additions and development.
The Flyers have not won the Stanley Cup in 50 years and have not been legitimate contenders since their 2010 Finals run.
It's a pressure job, but Tocchet welcomes it. As he put it, there aren't too many cities that react to winning or losing quite like Philly does. And for a fan base desperate for playoff success, there's no getting around the expectation.
| POLL | ||
MAI 22 | 220 ANSWERS Rick Tocchet Claps Back at Canucks Fans Calling Him a 'Quitter' Do you believe that Rick Tocchet is a quitter? | ||
| Yes | 88 | 40 % |
| No | 132 | 60 % |
| List of polls | ||
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