André Tourigny started something with the Coyotes in Arizona, and now he wants to be able to finish the job.
He will have the opportunity to do so, since he was granted a three-year contract extension with the Coyotes on Wednesday.
“We’re going to be patient,” the coach explained during a video conference on Wednesday. Three years ago it wasn’t a bad club here, but there were no young players, no draft picks in the bank… so yeah, it’s important to be patient for us. »
It is also because he feels his Coyotes are on the right track that Tourigny has chosen to stay longer. For him, the bad stories of the past in Arizona, the bad luck, the bad twists of fate, the arenas that come and go, the players who fail one after the other, the rumors of moving, all that does not prevent him to sleep at night.
“The team’s past, me, I wasn’t there when it happened… There’s nothing I can do about that.” We are aware of what happened here, but I have no control over it.
“So the plan doesn’t change. We continue, we move forward. I arrived here in 2021; we were preparing for two years of reconstruction, and then, in the third year, we wanted to have hopes and add quality veterans with that. A reconstruction takes time, and you have to do it right, otherwise you end up getting bogged down. »
Are the Coyotes going to do this right, exactly? This is a very good question, but Tourigny believes that it has the free rein and the support of management to bring this ambitious project to fruition.
In Tourigny, the Coyotes therefore bring back a coach who has worked in the hockey world for a long time, having started his journey in the world of Quebec junior hockey at the turn of the 2000s, in Rouyn-Noranda.
After 10 seasons behind the Huskies bench, he made the jump to the NHL in 2013, as an assistant to Patrick Roy in Colorado.
His first years as head coach were not easy, as one would expect in the sometimes complex world of the Coyotes. The 49-year-old went 25-50-7 in his first season at the helm, then went 28-40-14 last season. The club was obviously excluded from the playoffs both times.
Still, Tourigny saw signs of progress, as in 2022-23 the Coyotes collected 13 more points than the previous season, despite sometimes difficult conditions, including local games presented in a sports arena. college hockey.
For all these reasons, he chose to return.
“I feel like we’re going in the right direction,” he added, “so I’d like to stay here a while longer. I’m much better off doing a good job, because otherwise they’ll find another one for me! »