The Chicago Blackhawks appear to be set on the Montreal Canadiens’ assistant Luke Richardson as their new head coach. While the team hasn’t officially confirmed the news, multiple reports say that the two sides only have minor details to settle out before making it public.
The Blackhawks fired head coach Jeremy Colliton early in the 2021-22 season and decided to wrap up the campaign with Derek King leading the team on an interim basis. King posted a 27-33-10 record as Chicago finished seventh in the Central Division.
Luke Richardson will bring a wealth of experience to the Blackhawks organization thanks to his experience. The 53-year-old, who played as a defenseman in the NHL for 21 seasons, got his coaching start with the Ottawa Senators, where he spent three years as an assistant. He then served as a head coach of AHL’s Binghamton Senators from 2012 to 2016.
After leaving the Senators in 2017, Richardson spent one year with the New York Islanders as an assistant before joining the Canadiens organization. He later got his first taste of head coaching in the NHL in Montreal, stepping in after Dominique Ducharme tested positive for COVID-19 during the Stanley Cup Semi-Finals. Richardson would go on to lead the Canadiens to Stanley Cup Finals before giving the team back to Ducharme.
