Luke Richardson, the coach of the Blackhawks, was inducted into the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame.
He has even said that he has skated the entire length of the frozen Rideau Canal, most likely to the locks close to Carleton University. That is as sport-crazed as it gets in Ottawa.
Richardson remarked, “It was really cold the last time I did it.” “Up until I learned I had to skate seven kilometers back into the wind, I believed going with the wind was the wise choice. It served as a reminder to exercise caution, much like our defensemen, because it was quite cold.”
Asking him if he had ever played hockey outside, just after the Blackhawks announced they would host the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, he related that story.
Richardson was inducted into the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame last week. He is best remembered for his gruff, stay-at-home approach throughout his 21 seasons as an NHL defenseman. According to HockeyFights.com, the fitness-first coach of the Blackhawks was also recognized for a career that includes 135 fights and 2,055 penalty minutes.
Long NHL Playing Career Now in Coaching
Richardson was selected seventh overall in the 1987 first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The following season, he made his professional debut as an 18-year-old rookie, and he spent four seasons with the Leafs.
Wendel Clark (left) and Harold Ballard (right), the previous owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, greet 18-year-old Luke Richardson (middle). The Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame ©
After that, Richardson skated for the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto again, and the Ottawa Senators, where he ended his playing career. He played two last games in October of 2008.
After joining the Senators as an assistant coach for three seasons beginning in 2009, Richardson spent four seasons as the head coach of their AHL club in Binghamton, New York.
After that, he advanced to become an NHL assistant for the 2017–18 season with the New York Islanders and spent four years as an assistant with the Montréal Canadiens. On June 27, 2022, Richardson was appointed head coach of the Blackhawks.
Before moving on to play major junior hockey with the OHL Peterborough Petes, Richardson was a standout with the Ottawa West Golden Knights, according to locals in Canada’s capital.