Blackhawks officially hire Richardson as head coach

Luke Richardson is the next head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, the organization officially announced on Monday. He'll become the 40th head coach in franchise history. 

He takes over from interim head coach Derek King, who replaced Jeremy Colliton 12 games into this past season.

IT'S OFFICIAL ‼️ Luke Richardson is our 40th head coach in franchise history pic.twitter.com/cSmjbW6YBg

The 53-year-old native of Ottawa has served as an assistant with the Montreal Canadiens since 2018. Richardson has also held assistant coaching jobs with the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders as well as head coach of the American Hockey League’s Binghamton Senators.

"I want to wish Luke all the best in his next professional chapter in Chicago. Luke was wholeheartedly committed to helping our group achieve success, and he played a significant role in recent years. We thank him for his work and dedication," Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said Monday.

Un grand merci à Luke Richardson, et une bonne continuation avec les Hawks! Thanks for everything Luke, and good luck in Chicago! pic.twitter.com/qtj9zl085f

Richardson had a long 21-year career in the NHL as a defenceman, scoring 35 goals and 166 assists over 1,417 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning and Senators.

Internationally, Richardson helped Canada capture gold at the 1994 World Championship in Italy.

After reaching the playoffs during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, Chicago missed the postseason each of the last two years, finishing second-last in the Central Division at 28-42-12 last season.