Pens appreciate Tocchet’s role in Cup wins

When Rick Tocchet returns to Pittsburgh, he will see another Stanley Cup banner in the rafters and be celebrated for his part in earning it. Tocchet doesn’t plan on reminiscing too much about the Penguins’ back-to-back titles, except perhaps for one important moment.

“I’m looking forward to my ring, yeah,” he said.

Tocchet will get his third Penguins Cup ring, his second as an assistant coach after one as a player, when he visits as coach of the Arizona Coyotes tonight. Whether it was fostering relationships with Phil Kessel and younger players or running the power play that scored on 21.9 per cent of its chances during the 2016 and 2017 Cup runs, Tocchet was a valuable piece of the organization and is appreciated as such.

“The role he had, he did it extremely well,” Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said Monday. “He had a good read on the players and was able to communicate on a one-on-one basis with whatever they were dealing with hockey-wise and personally or whatever. He did a terrific job for us and played a key role.”

Tocchet settled into a comfortable spot on Pittsburgh’s coaching staff, especially once Mike Sullivan took over for Mike Johnston in December 2015. Sullivan values Tocchet’s knowledge and said over the summer they grew to trust each other through some challenging times.