Penguins’ assistant coach Rick Tocchet was officially named the new head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes yesterday, and the Pens wasted no time hiring his replacement. Mark Recchi, the former Penguins’ star and an inductee this year in the NHL Hall of Fame, will join coach Mike Sullivan’s staff after three years as the team’s player development coach. Recchi played parts of seven seasons in Pittsburgh and will take over Tocchet’s role working with the forwards and on the power play.
Tocchet signed a four-year contract with the Coyotes. He was an assistant coach to Wayne Gretzky more than a decade ago, leaving in 2005.
The Penguins’ Conor Sheary and Brian Dumoulin did not sign their offer sheets and General Manager Jim Rutherford says he does not expect to work out deals with the two before their arbitration hearings in Toronto. Dumoulin is scheduled for July 24th and Sheary for August 4th.
