The Vancouver Canucks have named Adam Foote as their new head coach, the group introduced Wednesday.
Foote, 53, had served as an assistant coach underneath head coach Rick Tocchet for the final three seasons. His solely earlier head teaching expertise was one season behind the bench of the WHL Kelowna Rockets, going 29-28-6 in 63 video games in 2019-20.
He is the twenty second head coach in franchise historical past. TSN reported that Foote agreed to a three-year deal.
Vancouver Canucks Common Supervisor Patrik Allvin introduced in the present day that the group has employed Adam Foote because the twenty second Head Coach in franchise historical past. pic.twitter.com/dJTDh8XoHb
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) Could 14, 2025
Tocchet stepped down after his three-year contract expired on the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. Vancouver opted to not train its contract possibility on Tocchet, having as an alternative supplied him a big extension. Workforce president Jim Rutherford stated that the Canucks “did the whole lot in our energy” to retain Tocchet however that “he could have his thoughts some place else.”
Sources instructed ESPN on Wednesday that Tocchet would be the subsequent head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, with whom he performed for 11 seasons.
Foote received two Stanley Cups as a participant with the Colorado Avalanche (1996 and 2001) and was thought-about one of many NHL’s premier defensive defensemen throughout his 19-season profession. Foote additionally performed for the Quebec Nordiques earlier than the franchise moved to Colorado and for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“His previous experiences on the ice have translated properly into a training type that matches our group’s objectives and imaginative and prescient. He has labored extraordinarily arduous the previous few years, gaining our gamers’ respect and belief for his robust communication and sincere, simple opinion. He is aware of this group higher than anybody else we interviewed and has inside information and understanding of what it should take to get us again to the place we need to be,” Canucks GM Patrik Allvin stated.
Foote wasn’t the one inside candidate interviewed for the Vancouver head teaching job. AHL Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra was additionally into consideration.
Foote takes over a Canucks group that didn’t make the playoffs after advancing to the second spherical in 2023-24. Vancouver has made the postseason solely twice previously 10 NHL seasons. The Canucks face a collection of questions heading into subsequent season, from the destiny of free agent winger Brock Boeser to how one can get 26-year-old star heart Elias Pettersson again on observe offensively. However the hiring of Foote may serve to handle one other one of many group’s uncertainties: the destiny of captain Quinn Hughes.
The defenseman is signed via the 2026-27 season, however Rutherford lately sparked hypothesis that Hughes may search to ultimately depart Vancouver to play with brothers Jack and Luke, who’re presently with the New Jersey Devils.
“He is stated earlier than he needs to play together with his brothers, and that will be partly out of our management,” Rutherford stated.
Foote spent the previous two seasons working with the group’s defensemen. They had been the 2 greatest seasons of Quinn Hughes’ NHL profession, with him successful the Norris Trophy in 2023-24 and being a finalist for the award once more this season. Now, the person who received the perfect out of the captain is sticking round because the group’s new head coach.
Cal Foote, son of Adam Foote, is certainly one of 5 gamers from Canada’s 2018 world junior championships group dealing with sexual assault costs from an incident in a London, Ontario, resort room. The trial is ongoing. All 5 gamers have pleaded not responsible.
