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Tocchet Relishes Chance

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON

eerlendsson@tampatrib.com

Published: November 15, 2008

TAMPA - Rich Tocchet stepped into the Lightning locker room early Friday night wearing a hoodie sweatshirt and tried to come to grips with the events of the afternoon.

But at the end of the day, what matters most is Tocchet understands he has been handed an opportunity. As interim head coach, he can take the reins of a team that floated through the first six weeks of the season under Barry Melrose and point the team in a positive direction.

"This is something I've always dreamed of doing, to be a head coach," Tocchet said. "I relish the role of being a leader. I've been a leader when I played and where I played in the NHL, as well. And I'm excited about taking the ball."

Tocchet, an 18-year NHL veteran who scored 952 points and registered 2,971 penalty minutes in 1,144 career games, said he was initially shocked to receive the news that Melrose had been let go and he was asked to step in as head coach. But that surprise wore off when he started receiving phone calls from friends around the league telling him that it's all part of the business, and that others have been asked to step into what might otherwise seem to be difficult circumstances.

"It's kind of an empty feeling when you find out because you work with a guy for two-and-a-half months, you are with him every day. But then as you hear from certain people and they told me that this is the business we are in and certain things happen," Tocchet said. "They told me that this is my opportunity to take the ball and go. There are 22 guys looking at your leadership right now and I don't want to let those guys down."

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835.

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