Tocchet gets thumbs-up from GM

Posted Mar 23, 2009 by Tribune Sports

Updated Mar 23, 2009 at 09:52 PM

TAMPA—Lightning coach Rick Tocchet apparently will finish the season with “interim” in his title, but it sounds like he’ll be back if General Manager Brian Lawton gets to make the call.

Lawton has been saying for awhile that he likes what he has seen from the man who was promoted when Barry Melrose was unexpectedly fired Nov. 14, and Monday, he said he’s done a “great job” in a trying season.

“I am extremely pleased with him, as I have been, really, from the start,” Lawton said in his office. “He’s doing it under difficult circumstances. There’s no about that, with all the different things that have transpired for our club.”

The Lightning have the second-worst record in the NHL at 23-33-16 (62 points) and have lost six straight at home entering tonight’s game against Columbus. But they’re playing without their No. 1 goalie, lost their No. 2 goalie and their blue line has been decimated.

At times, they’ve looked uninspired. At many other times, they’ve shown more fight than might be expected from a team that’s had so much adversity.

On Monday, Tocchet was a man making plans for next year. He spoke drafting the right players and conveying what it will take to be a Lightning player. He vowed that next year’s team will be in better condition than the group he inherited this year.

Professional hockey, he said, is “an 11 1/2-month job,” and players who don’t put in their off-season work will be held accountable.

“I mean, if you come to this team out of shape next year, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “It could get ugly for you.”

Asked if he expects to be back, Tocchet said he taking nothing for granted.

“Honestly, I don’t worry about that stuff,” he said. “I just worry about finishing the year out strong and the positives of, like a [Steven] Stamokos, and getting [Andrej] Meszaros and [Paul Ranger] rehabbed properly.

“I want to make certain guys like [Martin St. Louis] and Vinny [Lecavalier] finish strong. That’s what I focus on. The other stuff will come.”