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NHL Daily: Former Flyers Star Named Canucks’ Coach; NJ Rolls

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Bruce Boudreau, Vancouver Canucks
Bruce Boudreau was fired Sunday after the Vancouver Canucks lost nine of their last 10 games. Photo: AP.

In a poignant scene after Saturday’s 4-2 home loss to Edmonton, Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau stood on the bench and applauded the Canucks’ fans.

He knew the end was near.

The fans chanted, “Bruce, there it is!” in a salute to the 68-year-old coach.

“I just wanted to to savor looking at the stands because who knows if I’m ever going to get this chance again,” he said. “And just keep that in my mind and the memory. Let it burn there forever.”

Boudreau got burned Sunday. He was fired and replaced by Rick Tocchet. Nine losses in the last 10 games sealed Boudreau’s fate.

Tocchet, 58, the former Philadelphia Flyers star, was the beneficiary. He becomes the 21st coach in the Canucks’ history.

The Canucks (18-25-3) have allowed 3.96 goals per game, 31st in the 32-team NHL.

Tocchet said he will try to bring “structure” to Vancouver.

“There are some hard rules to keep the puck out of your net without sacrificing offense,” he said.

Boudreau compiled a 50-40-13 record with Vancouver over parts of two seasons. He has also coached at Washington, Anaheim, and Minnesota, putting together an overall mark of 617-342-128 over 15 seasons.

Tocchet, who had been a hockey analyst for TNT, has coached at Tampa Bay (two years) and Arizona (four years). He has a 178-200-60 career record.

In parts of 11 seasons as a right winger with the Flyers, Tocchet had 232 goals and 508 points in 621 games. He went into the Flyers’ Hall of Fame last year.

One of Tocchet’s former teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins, continued to struggle. They dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to New Jersey, which has a seven-game point streak.

For these stories, and others, check out the links below:

Around the NHL and National Hockey Now

Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers dropped a 5-3 decision to visiting Winnipeg and again missed a chance to go over “hockey. 500.” Philadelphia Flyers.

Vancouver Canucks: Former Flyers star Rick Tocchet left the media and became the Canucks’ 21st head coach. One of his first moves? Deleting his Twitter account. Vancouver Canucks.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Devils kept rolling. The Penguins kept losing. New Jersey’s Jack Hughes became the first Florida-born player in NHL history to score 30 goals in a season as the Devils won, 2-1, in overtime. Pittsburgh Penguins.

Washington Hockey Now: Superstar Alex Ovechkin is sidelined for the Caps. He is listed as day to day. Washington Capitals.

Montreal Hockey Now: TSN scouting guru Craig Button thinks the Canadiens have some prospects who are going to be a big hit in the NHL. Montreal Canadiens.

New York Islanders Hockey Now: Should coach Lane Lambert already be on the hot seat? It’s complicated. New York Islanders.

Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins’ defensemen put on a show in their latest victory, a 4-0 win Sunday over San Jose. Boston Bruins.

Colorado Hockey Now: For the first time in a while, the Avs are looking like the team that won the Stanley Cup last season. Colorado Avalanche.

Detroit Hockey Now: Need lessons on how to rebuild? See the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks. Detroit Red Wings.

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