“A physical player that finished his checks and could play that grinding game which all fans would respect, but certainly in Philly they really respected that kind of play,” Acton said.

And this wasn’t just any team, it was one that made two trips to the Stanley Cup finals in the late ’80s and fell both times to Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers. Soon after the second loss, Tocchet and Gretzky were together on Team Canada.

Tocchet broke out with 45 goals during the 1988-89 season and cut his penalty time under 200 minutes, the first time in five years he didn’t lead his team.

By now he was leading in more impressive ways. He topped the Flyers in goals (37) and assists (59) the following season and spent 196 minutes in the box.

“I’m not going to walk away (from confrontation), but I know I’m going to stay on the ice more,” he said in 1988. “I know that I’m going to play a lot smarter, but I’m going to still be aggressive.

“I’ve got to stay away from the fights (but) you know if a guy elbows you in the face or starts, you’ve got to drop your gloves.”

Tocchet wrapped up his career with 440 goals, 952 points and 2,972 penalty minutes. He nearly joined Dale Hunter as the only NHLers with 1,000 points and 3,000 penalty minutes.

“In your career, it’s nice to be known that you stood up for your teammates but it’s also nice that when your team needed a goal, you were put out in those situations,” Tocchet said in 2000.

After seven-plus seasons with the Flyers and less than one as team captain, Tocchet was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992. He scored 14 goals in 19 regular-season games and six more in the playoffs to help Mario Lemieux and the Penguins win their second straight championship.

The Flyers sat out that postseason and the following two.

After parts of three seasons in Pittsburgh, Tocchet became a bit of a nomad.

He spent two years in Los Angeles and reunited with Gretzky. Then he was sent to Boston, moved on to Washington, played three years in Phoenix and returned to Philadelphia for his final three seasons.

Later, he went behind the bench as an assistant coach. He was in Colorado for two seasons before joining Gretzky in his first year as the Coyotes’ head coach.

“There have been lots of players in history that have had a combination of skill and scoring ability and the ability to grind it out and play a physical way,” Acton said. “Certainly, he was a real good one.”

MORE FROM PACIFIC (ANA, DAL, LA, PHX, SJ)

NHL suspends Stars' Neal for 2 games

NHL suspends Stars' Neal for 2 games Kings' Smyth out a while with upper body injury NHL, Glendale officials discuss Coyotes' future Opinion: Marleau still leading way for Sharks Opinion: As Kopitar's stock rises, so do Kings Opinion: Coyotes playing like a team on a mission Opinion: Credit Gretzky for making great move Vote: Will Gretzky coach again in the NHL? Opinion: Say farewell to Phoenix as a NHL market Opinion: Heatley deal could be a steal for Sharks   Add Pacific (Ana, Dal, LA, Phx, SJ) headlines to your news reader: