Should Rick Tocchet make Flyers Hall of Fame?
Going End to End today are NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Brooke Destra, Katie Emmer, Taryn Hatcher, Joe Fordyce and Jordan Hall.
The topic: Should Rick Tocchet make the Flyers Hall of Fame?
Destra
Tocchet not only has a strong case to make the Flyers Hall of Fame but he also has the potential for the Hockey Hall of Fame in the future.
Even though his 18 seasons in the NHL had been spaced out across a handful of teams, he did some of his best work in Philadelphia – starting and ending his career as a Flyer.
It’s curious to think about where he would’ve ended in the franchise leaderboards if he spent his whole time in Philadelphia, but he’s currently 15th overall in points. He also ranks in the top 20 for every other main category, including games played, goals and assists.
Now, he also found success in Pittsburgh, posting his career high in points for a single season (48 goals, 61 assists, 109 points) and also coming back and winning two Stanley Cups behind the bench. (That was making the case for the Hockey Hall of Fame, of course.)
Emmer
Absolutely.
Throughout his 10 seasons with the orange and black, he made quite the impact, whether it was on the score sheet or being the reliable enforcer the team needed.
The 1988-89 season was one of Tocchet’s best scoring seasons with the Flyers – he had the seventh-highest goals per game average in the league with a 0.68 mark, and behind Tim Kerr, Tocchet was the team’s second top scorer that season with 81 points (45 goals, 36 assists).
Though he didn’t have numerous high-scoring seasons with the Flyers, Tocchet consistently made an impact in other ways with his hockey smarts or hockey fists.
Tocchet had a combined 1,713 PIM with the Flyers. He was the true definition of Philly tough.
A combination of his abilities, toughness and hockey IQ helped the Flyers to two Stanley Cup Final appearances (1985, 1987).
Tocchet started and finished his 18-year NHL career in Philadelphia, he had a passion for the city and a passion for the fans. He deserves to be in the Flyers HOF.
Hatcher
Tocchet 100 percent gets my vote. He worked his way up from being a bottom-six guy to a player who posted back-to-back-to-back-to-back 30-plus-goal seasons, highlighted by a 45-goal season in 1988-89. He ended his Flyers career with 232 goals and 508 points. Both of those statistics put him in the franchise’s top-15 all-time in those respective categories.
Not to mention he’s the Flyers’ all-time leader in penalty minutes, which means he accomplished all that while spending a fair amount of time in the sin bin. Iconic.
Fordyce
If anyone not named Bobby Clarke embodied the face of Flyers hockey more than Tocchet, let me know. My dad is one of the biggest Flyers fans I know and the first hockey player he ever told me about was Tocchet.
He was tough, a great teammate, a goal-scorer and an enforcer. Whatever the orange and black needed him to be, he was. Tocchet’s three-year run from 1988-1991 is up there with anyone in franchise history, scoring 45, 37 and 40 goals, respectively, during those three seasons.
Tocchet was one of the most prominent players on the Flyers’ teams that stood toe to toe with the 80s Edmonton Oilers, one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. Tocchet also served as captain for one season and later in his career returned to the Flyers as a glue guy, part of the team that beat his former team (the Penguins) in five overtimes during the 2000 playoffs. Unfortunately, Tocchet’s best season and his one Stanley Cup ring as a player came with the hated rival Penguins in between his two Flyers tenures.
Tocchet is hands down a Flyers Hall of Famer.
Hall
Maybe it’s just me but I find it odd to induct a player into a franchise’s Hall of Fame when he won a Stanley Cup with the organization’s rival team. In fact, Tocchet has won three Cups with the Penguins – two as an assistant coach and one as a player. And good for him.
Don’t get me wrong, Tocchet had a heck of a career and could have a shot at the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was that old-school power forward, a leader and a winner with impressive numbers.
But with the Flyers, he doesn’t rank in the organization’s top 10 for games, goals or points, and he wasn’t able to hoist the Cup in Philly.
A really good Flyer and a great player, but not sure he’ll get into the Flyers Hall of Fame.
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