The Chicago Blackhawks concluded their head coaching search and will announce Luke Richardson as their choice for the job, sources tell Daily Faceoff. Terms and dollar figures for the deal are to be determined.
They headed into the offseason with Derek King still installed as their interim head coach after he took over for the fired Jeremy Colliton during the 2021-22 season, but the Blackhawks began looking at other candidates, including Vancouver Canucks assistant coach Brad Shaw, and ultimately zeroed in on Richardson. He will be the 40th coach in franchise history.
Richardson, 53, brings extensive experience behind NHL benches as an assistant coach. He held that title for the Ottawa Senators from 2008-09 through 2011-12, with the New York Islanders in 2017-18 and with the Montreal Canadiens for the past four seasons. He earned some brief NHL head coaching experience during the 2020-21 playoffs, taking over in the third round and through the start of the Stanley Cup Final when Dominique Ducharme was in COVID-19 protocol. Richardson also spent four seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators and coached Canada to a Spengler Cup win in 2017.
He takes over a Blackhawks team that has missed the playoffs in two straight seasons and four of its past five. Chicago would have also missed in 2019-20 but qualified after winning a play-in round in the bubble tournament.
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