{"id":25268,"date":"2018-03-12T17:49:55","date_gmt":"2018-03-12T21:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=25268"},"modified":"2018-03-12T17:49:55","modified_gmt":"2018-03-12T21:49:55","slug":"arizona-coyotes-give-tocchet-leave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2018\/03\/12\/arizona-coyotes-give-tocchet-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Coyotes Give Rick Tocchet Leave Of Absence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arizona Coyotes<\/a> general manager John Chayka<\/b> announced today that head coach\u00a0Rick Tocchet<\/a> <\/strong>is dealing with a personal family illness. Due to this, the Coyotes will give coach Tocchet a leave of absence. Chayka said today that, “Family comes first”. assistant coach John MacLean<\/a><\/strong> will take over for the time being as head coach of the Coyotes.<\/p>\n

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OFFICIAL: #Coyotes<\/a> Grant Tocchet Leave of Absence from Team to Deal with Family Illness https:\/\/t.co\/J6QWBn7OjI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) March 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Family comes first. pic.twitter.com\/irRH1Q87Kh<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) March 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Coyotes Give Rick Tocchet Leave Of Absence For The Time Being<\/h2>\n

The Arizona Coyotes under Rick Tocchet this year have a 22-35-11 record. It has been a tough first year for Tocchet and the Coyotes. Lately, however, the Coyotes have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They have a record of 10-3-2 in their last 15 games played.<\/p>\n

This is Rick Tocchet’s second NHL head coaching job. He also coached the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> for parts of two seasons. His record with them was 53-69-26 in 148 games coached. He has also been an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche<\/a>, Tampa Bay Lightning, Phoenix Coyotes and Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a>. He was the assistant coach the past two seasons with the back to back champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.<\/p>\n

John MacLean<\/a> To Take Over For Now<\/h2>\n

There is no timeline for Tocchet’s return, however, assistant coach John MacLean will be the head coach until then. MacLean has coached 33 NHL games as a head coach in his career. Those came as a midseason replacement for the New Jersey Devils<\/a> where he went 9-22-2 in 33 games.<\/p>\n

MacLean has also been an assistant coach for the Devils from 2002-2009 and assistant coach for the Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> from 2011-2014. This is his first year with the Arizona Coyotes. MacLean also coached one season in the AHL with the Lowell Devils, New Jersey’s farm team. The Devils went 39-31-10.<\/p>\n

The Coyotes next game is March 13th against the Los Angeles Kings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>