Rick Tocchet and Craig Berube, friends for 40 years since their days as Philadelphia Flyers teammates, will temporarily set aside their bond when the Flyers visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night. Both coaches are guiding their teams through difficult stretches in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The game at Scotiabank Arena represents their 22nd matchup as NHL head coaches.
Rick Tocchet and Craig Berube forged a lasting friendship over four decades, beginning as young players with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1980s. Their relationship has endured through shared playing careers and into coaching, where they frequently confide in each other about challenges. "We've got a great relationship," Berube said. "We confide in each other daily, almost, about things and what we're going through and what the challenges are. He's a great sounding board for me."
The upcoming game on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET puts their personal connection on hold. Tocchet's Flyers hold a 27-21-11 record, with two straight wins but a 5-9-3 mark in their last 17 games, placing them six points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild-card spot. The Maple Leafs are 27-24-9, having lost three in a row and nine of their last 12 (3-8-1), eight points out of a playoff position. Philadelphia aims to snap a five-season playoff drought, while Toronto seeks a 10th consecutive postseason appearance.
Tocchet leads the head-to-head coaching series 13-8, though Berube won their two meetings this season: 5-2 on Nov. 1 and 2-1 in overtime on Jan. 8. "I don't put the personal thing in," Tocchet said. "I just want to win the game. ... You don't want to see your buddy struggle, but you're also, like, hey, I've got to win the game."
Their playing history includes five seasons together in Philadelphia from 1986-87 until Berube's 1991 trade to Edmonton, with brief reunions in Washington and Philadelphia later. Off the ice, they analyzed games at the Main Street Pub, as recalled by former rookie Simon Gagne.
Tocchet began coaching as an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche in 2002-03 and has a 313-286-98 record over 10 head-coaching seasons with Tampa Bay, Arizona, Vancouver and Philadelphia, earning the 2023 Jack Adams Award. Berube started as an assistant with the Flyers' AHL affiliate in 2004, posting a 360-240-85 record, including a Stanley Cup win with St. Louis in 2018-19.
Flyers president Keith Jones, a former teammate, noted, "I think they see the game similarly, but I do think that the one common denominator is that they hold themselves accountable as well as the players that are playing for them."
The coaches exchange ideas, with Tocchet crediting Berube for teaching him calmness during tough times, such as after a 2018 loss when Berube's Blues rallied to win the Cup. Despite the competition, their trust remains: "If I have a problem, I'll call Chief," Tocchet said, using Berube's nickname.
