Richardson to focus on defense, culture as Blackhawks coach
Hired to replace King; was assistant with Canadiens past four seasons
© Chase Agnello-Dean/Getty Images
"My philosophy is the game is a fast game now and a good example is watching the Final this year," Richardson said Wednesday. "There's a lot of speed and skill but you watch how hard [the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning] played, and it's the leaders and older players who have been there before who are leading the way. [Avalanche forward] Nate MacKinnon's finishing checks, well, that's the culture you want to build here."
Richardson, who was hired as coach Monday, replaces Derek King, who went 27-33-10 after replacing Jeremy Colliton on Nov. 7. The Blackhawks lost their first nine games (0-7-2), were 1-9-2 when Colliton was fired and finished 28-42-12, seventh in the Central Division.
General manager Kyle Davidson said Richardson is what the Blackhawks were looking for.
"Once we got a little deeper into the how he sees the game and how he views players and his communication styles, it really resonated with us and it really felt like something that would work within the system that we're putting in place here," Davidson said. "That was the main aspect of what drew us to Luke. And then once we got into a room and had a formal interview, the nuts and bolts really fell into place. But like he referenced, going out and having a more casual conversation over dinner, you loosen up, you get out of that more formal environment and you learn a little bit more about the person. As we went through the process, he just checked all those boxes down the line."
Richardson spent the past four seasons as an assistant for the Montreal Canadiens and coached the final four games of the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinal against the Vegas Golden Knights, going 3-1 after coach Dominique Ducharme tested positive for COVID-19. The Canadiens won the best-of-7 series in six games before losing the Stanley Cup Final in five games to the Lightning.
Richardson said he benefitted from taking over for Ducharme for those games.
"Just to have the confidence in myself, at the most pressure time of the year, to succeed and have a good relationship with the players that allowed that to happen, it really resonated to me that I'm ready for a head coaching job, that my plan works," the 53-year-old said. "It starts with communication, trust and honesty with the players, and it resonates when you put your game plan in front of them.
"The communication that you can have and making adjustments on the fly is huge, and there's no quicker time when you have to do that than that time of the year."
Richardson said he has yet to talk to some of the Blackhawks top players, including forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, but it's one of his first priorities. Toews and Kane have been with the Blackhawks their entire careers, Toews the No. 3 pick in the 2006 NHL Draft and Kane the No. 1 pick in the 2007 Draft. Each made his NHL debut in 2007-08, won the Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015 and is entering the final season of an eight-year contract signed July 9, 2014.
"Both Jonathan and Patrick, and I think [defenseman] Seth Jones are key for me to start with and build a relationship with them and have a trust in them and them in me," Richardson said. "That's going to be the first block in building the organization upwards. We have Stanley Cup Champions and future Hall of Famers on our team, and building a relationship with them to really lead the way and show the younger players to make those steps is going to be crucial."
Richardson played 21 NHL seasons as a defenseman from 1987-2009 and had 201 points (35 goals, 166 assists) and 2,055 penalty minutes in 1,417 regular-season games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Lightning and Ottawa Senators. He had eight assists and 130 penalty minutes in 69 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Richardson wasn't sure what the lineup was going to look like next season, so couldn't comment on what the Blackhawks' game plan will be. But given his defensive background, the Blackhawks will have a defense-first mentality.
"Playing defense, and I was a defensive defenseman, and being good defensively doesn't mean you're in your zone all night blocking shots and keeping the score down," he said. "I think what it is, is playing defense fast. If you can learn to play defense fast, whether you're a big strong guy or a small speedy guy, you have the puck more and more energy left in your body to play offense. That's what I think we need to do."
Davidson said the Blackhawks are looking to keep King with the organization.
"Derek was put into a pretty tough spot this year. The success on the ice just wasn't there," Davidson said. "It was a tough spot for Derek to step into, into his first foray as a head coach in the NHL. We thought he did excellent. He really helped calm things down and solidify things in the locker room.
"He was a serious candidate (for the coaching job). Derek is someone we really appreciate and really value. So I think there's going to be a process moving forward where we do try to keep Derek in fold. We're looking to bring high character people into the organization and Derek is that. It's going to be a discussion as we head into the summer, but we're hopeful that something will be there for him."
