After a tumultuous 2021-22 Chicago Blackhawks season both on and off the ice, it appears the organization’s ship may be more steady in the immediate future following Wednesday’s introductory press conference for new head coach Luke Richardson.
The on-ice future remains murky at the moment, but Richardson’s presence and his words inspired a level of confidence from the head coaching position that has been sorely lacking with the Blackhawks for several years.
Start with Richardson’s basic hockey philosophy on how to play defense in the modern NHL:
I’m not exactly sure what the lineup is going to be yet next year, so it’s hard to say exactly what philosophy and gameplan we’re going to actually do but I think that, 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.