A Q&A with Rick Tocchet

GLENDALE --It's been more than six weeks since Coyotes Head Coach Rick Tocchet's most recent press conference. With that in mind, here's a question-and-answer session with Tocchet, who already is preparing for the 2018-19 season:
Q: The Stanley Cup Playoffs are nearly complete with only the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals still in contention to win the League championship for 2017-18. What have you noticed most while watching this year's playoffs?

Tocchet: "The pace at which these teams are playing is something that really stands out. It's hard to win in the playoffs, and if you watch you see they play fast, work hard and play four lines, and their goalies have been terrific. Both teams have impressed me very much."
Q: Is there a key common thread Vegas and Washington share that have enabled them to reach the Stanley Cup Final?
Tocchet:"To get this far you have to have players who are selfless and who play with passion, and that's what I'm seeing from both teams. I see guys taking short shifts, I see guys sacrificing their bodies and I see players doing things for the good of the team and not for their personal agendas. For me, that's why these two teams are the two teams left fighting for the Cup. I want our guys to watch the way they're playing."

Q: The Coyotes played Vegas five times this season. From competing against that team so often, did you think they had a chance to accomplish what they've accomplished?
Tocchet: "That's a tough question. Everybody says the players on that team are castaways, but they're good hockey players. And they've got about five or six guys who are having career years so it's working out for them. Obviously, they have a Hall of Fame goalie, but I've been really impressed with the job they're doing in front of him. They seem to be playing a really good team game."
Q: You alluded to Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Knowing him from your time in Pittsburgh, are you surprised he's played so well with his new team?
Tocchet: "Not at all. And he's just a super guy. You could lose a game 1-0 with 'Flower' in the net and get out-shot, 50-10, and he'd apologize to the team for letting the one goal in and tell you he should have stooped that backdoor, tap-in goal he let in. That's the type of guy he is. He's always been one of my favorites and it's quite a story what he's doing in Las Vegas."

Q: Alex Ovechkin seems to be playing at a higher level than usual. Would you agree?
Tocchet: "He's been great throughout the entire playoffs but in those last two games vs. Tampa it was almost like he willed his team to victory. Whenever Tampa had the momentum for a couple minutes he'd go out there and change the momentum, and that whole team would follow suit. He's leading right now, like a captain should. He's done a hell of a job in the playoffs."

Q: Has it been difficult for you to be just an observer of the Stanley Cup Playoffs rather than a participant?
Tocchet:"Yes. It's been very weird. I don't like it. We've been off for six weeks now and there's still three-plus months left in the off-season. But we're trying to use the negative of not making the playoffs and turn it into a positive for next season. In saying that, we've got to use this long layoff to come back stronger."
Q: How do you feel about Oliver Ekman-Larsson competing at the 2018 IIHF World Championship and winning another gold medal?
Tocchet: "OEL played great over there. The whole Swedish team was well coached and played well. It's funny, when a player tells you he's going to play in the World Championship, as a coach, the first thing you think of is the potential for injury. But, you know what, OEL hasn't been in the playoffs for a few years and wanted to be in that fire, so how can I blame him for going over there and competing as hard as he did. I thought it was a positive that he - and Darcy Kuemper - went over to Denmark and participated, and got to feel that type of playoff intensity. It was good for them, and I was happy for OEL to win the gold medal again. He earned it."

Q: General Manager John Chayka made a rare trade during the Stanley Cup Playoffs when he acquired center Marcus Kruger from the Carolina Hurricanes. What are your thoughts on that trade?
Tocchet: "Marcus is good defensively and a good penalty killer, and I've heard he's a great locker-room guy and that he's a hard practice player and 'does your system.' I talked to him briefly on the phone and told him what we expect. I'm anxious to see him in training camp."

Q: You mentioned calling Kruger. Have you started to reach out to all of the Coyotes about next season or is it too soon, and what's next on your to-do list?
Tocchet: "I started talking to the players this week and my goal is to talk to all of them within a week or two. I want to hear how they've spent the past six weeks off, what they're doing, how their training is going. Things like that. I think being in contact with the players is key. As far as the coaches, we had a meeting about three weeks ago and we'll have another one at the draft. We'll talk about making tweaks within the system, and discuss the training camp schedule, how we can improve practices, and how we travel. That kind of stuff. After that, we'll have a coaching symposium in August to make final preparations for training camp. Somewhere in the middle of that I'll relax a little bit and recharge the battery."