Tocchet stands there after the morning skate, leaning on a stick, looking entirely like himself - and entirely comfortable. That the last few years in his life have been eventful - including a guilty plea to gambling charges following a New Jersey State Police investigation, followed by a league suspension - goes without saying. That the last few weeks have been hectic - what with the firing of Lightning coach Barry Melrose, followed by Tocchet's elevation from assistant coach - is also pretty plain.
Yet the man remains the man: open, unvarnished, upfront.
"This is what I tell the players: My door is open, but make sure you have some bullets in your gun when you come in," he said. "If you're playing well, and you've got those bullets, and you've got something to say, I'll listen. If you're not happy with how much you're playing, I'll get you back in the lineup.
"But if you're playing crappy, and you're asking for more and more, I'll knock you out on your [butt]. That's my opinion."
He arrived in Philadelphia, way back when, as a tough guy with some skill. He left the NHL, 18 years later, as a skilled player who was tough. The difference is semantic, but not entirely.
People still don't want to remember that Tocchet made four All-Star teams and scored 440 goals in the NHL, which is 59th on the all-time league scoring list. They completely want to remember that he recorded 2,972 penalty minutes, which is 10th all-time.
The combination - so different, so Philadelphia - stamps Tocchet as one of the truly unique players in NHL history. But what he was, maybe more than that, was an honest and uncomplicated player. In your face, or your crease, or the ear hole of your helmet - Tocchet was always both easy to find and entirely willing to deal with the consequences.
