Former Flyer Tocchet named full-time bench boss in Tampa

The Tampa Bay Lightning elevated Rick Tocchet to head coach on a full-time basis Monday by agreeing on a multi-year contract.

Tocchet, who had been hired as an assistant last offseason, took over in Tampa on an interim basis just 16 games into the 2008-09 season after the abrupt firing of Barry Melrose. He becomes the seventh head coach in the franchise's 17-year history.

The 45-year-old Ontario native began his coaching career in 2002-03 with the Colorado Avalanche as an assistant under Tony Granato. He spent 1 1/2 seasons with the Avs before joining Wayne Gretzky's staff in Phoenix as an assistant in 2005.

However, his tenure there was abbreviated as he spent two years away from the game for his involvement in a massive betting ring based in southern New Jersey before re-entering the league with Tampa Bay.

The Lightning endured a complete franchise turnover and totally revamped their lineup after finishing 2007-08 with the worst record in the league. They selected Steven Stamkos with the first overall pick of the draft, signed franchise centerpiece Vincent Lecavalier to an 11-year contract and brought in a slew of offensive talent from elsewhere.

All that change went for naught, as the Bolts would up with the league's second worst record at 24-40-18 and lost their final nine games. Under Tocchet's guidance, Tampa Bay was 19-33-14.

Tocchet competed in 1,144 career games for six teams over 18 NHL seasons and is one of only three players in the history of the league to record 400 goals and at least 2,500 penalty minutes. Overall, he posted 440 goals, 952 points and 2,972 penalty minutes while also appearing in 145 playoff games and netting 52 goals with 112 points and 471 penalty minutes.