Tocchet: Arizona is 'starving for a winner'

Rick Tocchet has been head coach of the Arizona Coyotes for less than 72 hours, but he knows from personal experience just how badly their fans want a winning club.

So when Tocchet addressed the media Thursday for the first time as the Desert Dogs' bench boss, he said Arizona - which isn't generally considered a hockey town - is willing and ready to support its team.

Related: 3 takeaways from the Coyotes' introductory press conference

"This is an underrated hockey market," Tocchet said, according to Jerry Brown of NHL.com. "I've seen a lot of old friends from when I used to live here and they are starving for a winner. Then you take the commitment by the new front office and ownership to a new start " you mix all that in together and it was an easy choice for me to come back."

Tocchet will be counted on to revive a Coyotes club that's missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons, and 11 out of the last 14. Unsurprisingly, Arizona's attendance has also been poor, consistently ranking among the bottom three teams in the NHL.

Support was significantly higher during Tocchet's playing days in the desert - Arizona averaged over 15,000 fans per game from 1997-2000 - something the 53-year-old remembers fondly.

"We had a good, smart, competitive team that played a fast style and that's what this fan base wants," Tocchet said. "We had offensive players with skill and the fans really connected. When we played downtown (at America West Arena) and the building was electric, we had a good advantage."

If Tocchet can manage to turn around the Coyotes, perhaps Arizona fans will connect with them all over again.

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