Vancouver Canucks promote Adam Foote to head coach, replacing Rick Tocchet

The Vancouver Canucks have named Adam Foote as their new head coach.Foote becomes the 22nd head coach in franchise history and replaces Rick Tocchet, who parted ways with the Canucks on April 29 and is rumoured to become the next head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Media reports earlier this week speculated that either Foote, who joined Vancouver as an assistant coach when Tocchet was hired on Jan. 22, 2023, or Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra would succeed Tocchet.

Foote was believed to be the preferred candidate of Canucks captain Quinn Hughes.The Canucks struggled to a 38-30-14 record this season and missed the playoffs a year after advancing to the second round of the post-season and taking the Edmonton Oilers to seven games.

This is the first NHL head coaching job for the 53-year-old Foote, whose only previous head coaching experience came during a season and a half with the Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets.

Foote played 19 seasons as a defenceman with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche and the Columbus Blue Jackets, helping the Avs win Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001.