NEWSLETTER
On Monday the Chicago Blackhawks made a widely reported rumor a reality: Luke Richardson is the new head coach.
“We are excited having a seasoned coach like Luke join the organization as head coach,” General Manager Kyle Davidson said in the team statement. “Luke shares our vision and goals for the future, and he will have an opportunity to build an environment and culture of high-performance, hard work and high accountability. Throughout the interview process, it became evident that he not only had every quality we were looking for in a head coach, but also is a high-character individual that was perfect to lead this next era of the Chicago Blackhawks.”
Richardson will be introduced to media on Wednesday at 11:00 AM CT.
We’ve written about Richardson’s background since the reports swirled at the end of last week that he would be making the move from an assistant role in Montreal to the head coaching position in Chicago.
“I am honored to be trusted with this opportunity to coach an Original Six franchise like the Chicago Blackhawks,” Richardson said in the statement. “I look forward to working with Kyle, Jeff Greenberg, Norm Maciver and the rest of the Hockey Operations group in addition to having the guidance of Rocky Wirtz, Danny Wirtz and Jamie Faulkner. Together, we will work to direct the team on a journey that we believe will achieve success. Clear communication, a plan, hard work and execution will lead us to that success.
I plan to create an environment of trust with our team. With trust, relationships will form and grow, thus allowing everyone to blossom and execute their role. My philosophy is to be better today than we were yesterday and, to achieve that, we will need commitment and consistency.”
Richardson inherits a team in transition, from a hypothetical rebuild to an all-in but doesn’t fit roster to a new front office and roster in turmoil. We — and he — don’t know which players that are currently on the Chicago payroll will still be here in September when training camp opens. And we don’t know what trades general manager Kyle Davidson will make to augment the roster and add to the pipeline/NHL roster.
In their team statement regarding Richardson leaving their staff to become the head coach in Chicago, the Montreal Canadiens were thankful for his impact on their team.
“I want to wish Luke all the best in his next professional chapter in Chicago. Luke was wholeheartedly committed to helping our group achieve success, and he played a significant role in recent years. We thank him for his work and dedication,” Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said in Montreal’s statement.
But we do know one thing: a guy who is widely respected and liked who played more than 1,400 regular season games in the NHL, who has paid his dues as an NHL assistant for eight years and an AHL head coach for four, is coming to Chicago to be the leader and teacher of the next generation of Blackhawks.
Good luck, Luke! We’re rooting for you!
