John Torchetti

John Torchetti (born 1964 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an associate coach for the Chicago Blackhawks. He was the coach of the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL for the 2006–2007 season. He also served as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning, interim head coach for the Florida Panthers, interim head coach of the Los Angeles Kings.

His first coaching assignment came as an assistant coach for the Greensboro Monarchs of the ECHL. His first head coaching position was with the San Antonio Iguanas where he took over when Bill Goldsworthy became ill. He coached the Iguanas to the finals twice in two years and won the Commissioner's Trophy for coach of the year in 1995. After spending the first half of the 1996–97 season as an Assistant Coach with the San Antonio Dragons of the IHL, Torchetti became head coach of the Fort Wayne Komets. In 1998 he won the Commissioners' Trophy.

Before the 1999–00 NHL season Torchetti was hired as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning under Steve Ludzik. In 2002 Torchetti was hired as head coach of the San Antonio Rampage. Due to his many coaching stints in the city, "Torch" has kept close ties to San Antonio. After 65 games he was promoted to assistant coach with the parent club, the Florida Panthers. In 2004 he served 27 games as interim head coach, replacing Rick Dudley. He finished with a 10–12–4–1 record and was replaced with current head coach, Jacques Martin. During the 2005–06 NHL season, Torchetti was hired by Dave Taylor as interim head coach of the Los Angeles Kings. He had a 5–7 record in the teams final 12 games and was not retained by the Kings, instead being replaced by Marc Crawford.

In 2006 he was hired by the Moncton Wildcats to replace Ted Nolan as Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations. He coached the team to a 39–25–0–4 record and a third placed finish in the QMJHL's Eastern Division. The Wildcats were eliminated in the first round by the Halifax Mooseheads.

Torchetti played prep school hockey for the powerful New Preparatory School of Cambridge, Massachusetts as a Post-Graduate at the age of eighteen under the coaching tutelage of the regionally renowned Mike Kozack. Before attending New Prep School, Torchetti played for Jamaica Plain High School in the Boston City League, where he set state scoring records, superseding the ones achieved in the late 1960s by the legendary Robbie Ftorek of Needham High School. He also played professionally from 1984-1991 for the Carolina Thunderbirds & Virginia Lancers of the ACHL, AAHL, & ECHL, the Binghamton Whalers of the AHL, and the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds of the ECHL. He played Left Wing

Torchetti was hired as an associate coach for the Chicago Blackhawks on May 16, 2007. [ [http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/chi-foltman-insidehawks16may16,1,684423.story?coll=chi-sportsblackhawks-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true Topic Galleries - chicagotribune.com ] ]

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