As what was reported as a possibility on June 29th by Pierre LeBrun, Andre Tourigny and the Arizona Coyotes were having intensified talks concerning his future employment with the team.
Hearing that talks have intensified between Arizona and Hockey Canada coach Andre Tourigny. He’s a serious candidate to land the Coyotes HC job though it’s not done yet. @TSNHockey @TheAthletic
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 29, 2021
Andrew Tourigny Named New Head Coach of Arizona Coyotes
Tourigny was named the new head coach of the Arizona Coyotes. He succeeds former head coach Rick Tocchet to be the bench coach of the team. Tourigny formerly was an assistant coach with Team Canada in the recent World Championship won by Canada. He also was an assistant head coach for two seasons in 2013-14, and 2014-15 with the Colorado Avalanche followed by another one-year stint with the Ottawa Senators. He has been the head coach/vice president of hockey operations over the last four years for the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. Needless to say, his expertise with the mostly young roster in Arizona will serve him well.
The Coyotes have called a news conference for 11 AM Thursday. Sources tell me they will name André Tourigny as their next head coach. I first noted Tourigny’s candidacy on May 10. There have been lots of talks between the team & the Ottawa 67’s/Hockey Canada coach since then. https://t.co/dePCi5p9Vl
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) July 1, 2021
Tourigny was named the OHL coach of the year three times and took his Ottawa 67’s team to a combined record of 100-23-7 over the last two seasons. He has the skills the Coyotes were searching for when they began looking for Tocchet’s replacement. He met the guidelines that the Coyotes management was seeking. He’s only 47 years old and this will be his first head coaching job in the NHL.
After a popular choice like Mike Van Ryn was not selected, it was thought that the Dallas Stars assistant Todd Nelson had the inside track to land the job. Apparently the new general manager Bill Armstrong liked what he heard in interviews with Tourigny.
What This Means Going Forward for the Arizona Coyotes
With a new head coach, this team has its work cut out for it to become a competitive team. Tourigny will have some good young and talented players to put out on the ice. He may also have some new players from trades or free agent signings. This is a new beginning for the Desert Dogs, let’s see how they do with Tourigny in charge.
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