The Flyers hope his return to the franchise will push them out of an extended rebuild and into playoff contention.

The team announced on its web site late Wednesday afternoon what multiple sources had informed earlier in the day, that the Flyers had hired one of their former star players, Rick Tocchet, as the new bench boss. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was the first to break the story.

The Philadelphia Flyers have named Rick Tocchet the 25th head coach in franchise history, according to General Manager Daniel Briere.