Gretzky has an old friend join him on the TNT NHL broadcast team

TNT is loading up on some serious talent!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
Gretzky has an old friend join him on the TNT NHL broadcast team
Sportsnet

Arizona Coyotes insider Craig Morgan has reported that former Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet will join the NHL on TNT broadcast team, joining good friend Wayne Gretzky, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Anson Carter and Darren Pang, among others.

Check it out:


Tocchet, of course, was let go by the Coyotes this past offseason and failed to land another head coaching job in the NHL. The 47 year old has spent much of the past 20 seasons behind the bench either as an assistant coach or a head coach for the Colorado Avalanche, Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins. His most recent stint with the Coyotes, four years as a head coach, was mostly uneventful. The team made only one trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs under Tocchet, defeating the Nashville Predators in the Qualifying Round of the 2020 post-season before getting dismantled by Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche. Tocchet has put up just two .500+ seasons in six seasons as a head coach of both the Coyotes and Lightning.

Of course, Tocchet was an assistant coach under Gretzky in his first go around with the Coyotes behind the bench. If there's anyone who was a more mediocre coach of the Coyotes than Tocchet, it was The Great One. Gretzky led the team to a 143-161 record in four seasons as head coach. 

As for TNT, it's clear that Turner Broadcasting is taking its new partnership with the NHL seriously. Turner Broadcasting signed a seven year contract to become the NHL's "B" broadcaster in the United States, alongside ESPN and ABC. TNT will feature Gretzky, Tocchet, Keith Jones and Anzon Carter as studio personalities. Kenny Albert and Brendan Burke will handle play by play duties, while Eddie Olczyk and Darren Pang will provide color commentary. 

Basketball fans have grown to love the NBA on TNT and it's laid back, entertaining approach to the game. It'll be interesting to see if the NHL on Turner Sports follows the same formula. Not every hockey fan tunes into the sport for X's and O's style breakdowns and in-depth journalism. Again, it'll be interesting to see what sort of approach TNT takes with its all-star broadcasting lineup.

Source: Craig Morgan