Luke Richardson will finally get his chance in the big league. The Montreal Canadiens assistant coach was hired by the Chicago Blackhawks as head coach, according to informant Frank Seravalli of Daily FaceOff.
Posted at 12:01
Richardson, a former NHL defenseman, has been an assistant for the Canadiens since the 2017-2018 season. He is responsible for the defenders, a role that will be difficult to fill when he leaves, especially for a team like the Canadiens in full reconstruction with several young defenders.
Richardson previously served as an assistant with the Ottawa Senators from 2009 to 2012 before taking charge of the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League. He was head coach in the AHL for four years.
Richardson’s ascendancy over his players is well established. Ben Chiarot, then a member of the Canadian, had also said in June 2021, when Richardson had to replace Dominique Ducharme: “I think I speak for all our defenders by saying that we would all go through a wall for Luke. . Because he would do the same for us. »
Richardson played 1,417 NHL games, scoring 35 goals and 166 assists for 201 points.
He was drafted in the first round, seventh overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1987, playing four seasons there. The defender then wore the colors of the Oilers, Flyers, Blue Jackets, Lightning, before ending his career in Ottawa.