Richardson to coach Blackhawks
CHICAGO – The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the NHL'S worst teams last season, and their general manager is talking about a potentially long rebuilding process. They are listening to trade offers for their top goal scorer, and the situation at goaltender is murky at best.
Enter Luke Richardson.
“I like a challenge and I'm ready for it,” Richardson said.
The Blackhawks think so, too, and that's why they hired Richardson as the 40th coach in franchise history. The former NHL defenseman takes over a team in transition under GM Kyle Davidson, one that has fallen on hard times since it won the franchise's sixth Stanley Cup championship in 2015.
Davidson has made no secret of his plan to remake the roster, and Richardson acknowledged the difficult road ahead when he was formally introduced Wednesday at the team store in downtown Chicago. But he also showed off the competitive nature that helped fuel a 21-year NHL playing career.
“I just feel that playing experiences, coaching experiences, I'm totally comfortable with developing players, having patience with players,” he said, “but I think I said right from the start, I am an optimist and I feel like I want to go win every game, and I'm going to approach every game like that.”
Richardson, 53, played for six NHL teams, finishing with 35 goals and 166 assists in 1,417 games – including his debut with Toronto at Chicago Stadium on Oct. 8, 1987. He retired during the 2008-09 season and joined Ottawa's coaching staff. He was the head coach for the Senators' AHL affiliate from 2012 to 2016.
Richardson, who is from Ottawa, Ontario, was an assistant on Montreal's coaching staff for the previous four seasons.