Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet will have a lot on his plate next spring.
The revered bench boss has been picked as an assistant for Team Canada at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. The international best-on-best competition will pit Canada, the United States, Finland, and Sweden against each other on the biggest stage.
Tocchet has been one of the most successful coaches in the league since joining the Canucks in January 2023. Last year he won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best coach after orchestrating a massive year-over-year turnaround for the Canucks.
Coach Tocch for Canada 🇨🇦
Congrats to Head Coach Rick Tocchet for being named an Assistant Coach for Canada in the 2025 NHL #4Nations Face-Off! 👏 pic.twitter.com/vQn8Swdt0D
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) July 31, 2024
Tocchet has a record of 70-35-13 over parts of two seasons with the Canucks. He helped the team reach Game 7 of the second round last season, where they nearly upset the Edmonton Oilers, despite not having their starting goalie.
Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper had previously been announced as the leader of Canada’s staff. Tocchet will be joined by assistants Bruce Cassidy, Peter DeBoer, and Misha Donskov to round out the group.
The first six players for each team at the tournament have already been announced. Canada features some of the league’s best talent, including Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. It will be the first time the two stars join forces on the international stage.
Canada’s first game of the tournament takes place on February 12, 2025, at the Bell Centre in Montreal. They’ll face off against Sweden, who will likely feature Canucks star Elias Pettersson, although he was not one of the first six players named to the team.
The 4 Nations Face-Off will be held between Montreal and Boston with games on both sides of the border. The championship game will take place on February 20 in Boston.
The NHL will pause while the tournament takes place, ensuring that the best players in the world can compete against each other.