Richardson: 'It was a no-brainer to come back'

MONTREAL - The Canadiens agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with assistant coach Luke Richardson on Wednesday.

Shortly after the announcement, Richardson spoke with reporters via Zoom.
Here are a few highlights from his chat:
Richardson on the decision to extend his stay behind the bench:
I've become good friends with Dom. We talk a lot, not just about hockey, but other things. We have a lot in common. We both have a calm demeanor. We work well together, so it was a no-brainer to come back. Obviously, with the excitement this year that we had with the team and the players, what a fun atmosphere to be a part of. The way Geoff Molson runs the whole organization, all the way down through Berge and the whole staff, is great. The players were so fantastic this year in the playoffs. It's such a great atmosphere to be a part of, it's special, and it's hard to find in the world these days, not just in hockey or sports, but in any group with the way the world is right now with COVID. It's a tough environment, so to be a part of this family was a really easy decision.

Richardson on his relationship with head coach Dominique Ducharme and fellow assistant coach Alex Burrows:
There's a great energy between us. We're all business when it's time to work, but we also have fun and we enjoy things. Sometimes, you can't take everything so seriously. You've got to be able to enjoy things. If you can do that at the right times, it makes the important times and the more serious times more meaningful and more productive. We have a good relationship, both in hockey and outside hockey, and with Sean Burke, too. It was a great staff. Moving forward, we want to run on this energy that we've created here this year. A lot of that came from the players. They put the effort in out on the ice and they really did a fantastic job. To be a part of that was very special. You hate to see it end. It's a terrible feeling when it ends, but what an opportunity it is to recreate that and try to build off of it.
Richardson on his relationship with the Habs' defensemen:
I really enjoy the group that we have. How can you not? You've got to respect how they played through this playoffs and really made it difficult on other teams, especially their top players. I'm sure it wasn't fun to play out there, which is the way the playoffs are supposed to be to win. What a great group! To have those top-four guys, I give them a lot of credit. But, guys like Kulak and Romanov that came in the last two games, that's a tough time to come in if you haven't played in a while, and they did fantastic. The additions that Berge made at the deadline with Merrill and Gustafsson really helped us get over that hump in the playoffs in certain areas. Our group was really special. Hockey is never perfect. You have to keep that in mind. You can't get too upset when there's a mistake or things don't go your way one game. It's how you can build off of it and get better and rebound. That's how I try to build my relationship with those players so they can trust me when I'm telling them something to make them better.

Richardson on the growth of Alexander Romanov this past season:
Romy had a big year. He played a lot of regular season games. That's great for a young player. He played well. There were some ups and downs in the season for him. He's an intuitive kid. He asks questions on the bench. I thought our communication got better as the season went along. He's very excitable. Sometimes, I call it "happy feet" where he's crossing over all over the place, wasting some energy, and moving a little a little too much laterally where he's used to that bigger ice. By the end of the season, though, he started to control that a little bit better. That helps the way he plays. He developed a good visual feel from all the games. He also matured. He's another year older. He went through some experiences this year. He's perceptive. He knows when something went wrong on the ice. At the end of the season, we tried to keep him a little tighter and more positional, and then it's going to work well for him. He's such an explosive player that he can get to a guy 10 feet away very quickly and surprise them with a big hit. He's a very physical guy, he shoots the puck well, and he'll block a shot no matter who's winding up. He's got the heart of a lion. You really can't teach that to a player. They have it or they don't. When he wants to block a shot, he really tries to block that shot. That's a skill. All that combined together is going to go a long way for his maturity and his growth into next year for the Montreal Canadiens and Romy himself.
Richardson on his love for Montreal:
It's great. It's such a historic franchise to be a part of. It's very special. Not having a chance to play for them, I'm really taking it in as a coach and enjoying it. Our family enjoys it. It's close to my hometown in Ottawa. We can go back-and-forth. It's very accessible for us. Our daughter's in Boston, which is only about a five-hour drive or a quick flight. We love the proximity for our family, just to try and be together as much as we can. It's a great franchise. We're so proud to be a part of it and very proud to try and bring success like this year. We almost got to the final stage and that's the promised land. I would love to be a part of this team to get them back to where they should be as champions of the League. It would be a great honor to try and do that. That's why I'm here. I like to win. Montreal wants to win. It's a good combination.