Chicago Blackhawks part ways with coach Luke Richardson, name Anders Sorensen interim head coach
This article has been updated to fix a spelling mistake.
The Chicago Blackhawks have dismissed coach Luke Richardson as the team struggles in the NHL standings.
In his place, Anders Sorensen, head coach of the Rockford IceHogs (the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate), has been appointed as interim head coach.
This decision comes as star player Connor Bedard has been underperforming during his second NHL season. Bedard recently ended a 12-game streak without scoring and was not selected for Canada’s roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.
General manager Kyle Davidson stated, “As we have begun to take steps forward in our rebuilding process, we felt that the results did not meet our expectations for a higher level of execution this season and ultimately came to the decision that a change was necessary.”
Richardson, who is 55 years old, was brought on board before the 2022-23 season. Under his leadership, the Blackhawks placed 30th overall, leading to a draft lottery where they picked Bedard, acclaimed as the best NHL prospect since Connor McDavid.
He coached Bedard during his rookie year, where Bedard earned rookie of the year honors despite missing 14 games due to a jaw injury. However, the Blackhawks ended the season with the second-worst record in the league, managing only a .317 points percentage.
This season has shown little improvement, even with the addition of veterans Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen to aid Bedard. Currently, the Blackhawks’ record stands at 8 wins, 16 losses, and 2 overtime losses, with a recent slump of 2-7-1.
Richardson’s time with the team concludes with a record of 57 wins, 118 losses, and 15 overtime losses, and he will miss the opportunity to coach in the upcoming Winter Classic.
Richardson is the third coach in the NHL to be let go this season, following Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins and Drew Bannister of the St. Louis Blues.
Meanwhile, Sorensen, 49, a Swedish native, has been with the Blackhawks organization since the 2013-14 season and became the head coach of the Rockford IceHogs in 2021-22, leading them to the playoffs in all three of his seasons at the helm.
