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Canucks Say They Never Considered Bringing in an Interim Coach

Canucks never considered bringing in an interim head coach, even as Boudreau got emotional about his impending exit.

The Vancouver Canucks new coaching staff and management team met with the media after the decision was made to release Bruce Boudreau and bring in new head coach Rick Tocchet. Among the things they told reports, the team never considered bringing in an interim head coach, even when they realized the narrative surrounding their treatment of Boudreau shined a negative light on the organization.

Jim Rutherford was asked about his take on the situation as Boudreau was moved out and Tocchet in. He acknowledged it was unfortunate, but also said that the speculation and media blew the entire situation out of proportion. It was because the entire story — one he said is not much different than the way many coaches come in and out of other organizations — took on a life of its own. He said, looking back, that maybe he should have put an interim coach in Boudreau’s spot, but it never crossed the organization’s mind. Boudreau was under contract until June 30th and the intention was to have him coach until Tocchet was able to take over.


Tocchet was asked if he thought it would cause issues with the players, based on their love of Boudreau. Tocchet didn’t think so. He called himself a relationship guy and didn’t think he would have an issue getting in well with the players. In fairness, he’s probably right as the roster shouldn’t hold Tocchet responsible for how everything went down. This wasn’t on him.

Mike Yeo will stay with the club and Tocchet said he will rely heavily on him, giving him a lot of autonomy to make decisions. That makes the question of not asking Yeo to step in during the transition period even more intriguing.

Canucks Want Progress Throughout the Season

Rutherford noted that the team won’t be tanking, but they aren’t going out of their way to win. They want to see progress over the course of the remainder of this season and they made this decision now to see if players on the roster can improve under a different voice. Should they not, there’s a hint that some of the players that don’t respond could be moved out.

Tocchet Alvin Rutherford Canucks

Tocchet knows he might lose some good players ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline and he noted that teaching will be a good part of learning what responsibility each player can handle. He’s ready to work with the players he’ll have and get the most out of them. Teaching is supposed to be a big part of the long-term future of the club and part of its rebuilding plan. The process has to come before the results.

Next: Canucks Officially Fire Boudreau, Hire Tocchet as Head Coach

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