That moment and quote from Davidson says it all.
Luke Richardson, by all accounts, is a great human being.
He had a very good resume.
Jaw like an anvil.
It just wasn’t working here and Davidson had to drop the hammer on him.
I am sure he will be back behind a bench at some point and I hope he has success.
The experiment with him in Chicago failed and it was time to move on.
Every coach gets fired and I am sure things will work out for Richardson in the long run.
The timing in relation to Jim Montgomery getting fired by Boston and going to division rival, St Louis.
A few people on twitter were screaming hE WaS aLwaYs gOinG to St LoUiS.
Maybe that is true.
We’ll never know.
What I do know is that the Blackhawks never gave themselves a chance.
I believe Jim Montgomery is one of the best coaches in all of hockey.
He’s great with young players.
Has the respect of veterans.
If he still chooses STL because of the ties he has to that organization than so be it.
At least they gave themselves a chance at the best coach available.
I am more angry about the process than the result.
I want the Blackhawks to be serious about winning.
Going for Monty would be a statement of intent.
It’s time to take that step forward.
It’s time to be more bold.
That’s why I was upset.
I don’t know anything about him.
It’s all about Bedard and the young guys at this point.
I hope Anders does so well that the Blackhawks are forced to keep him.
I doubt that’ll be the case, but that is my hope.
Realistically he is an interim guy.
Which means that the culture building and step-taking this year are going to be another 6 months behind schedule.
I have no idea who that’ll be.
I also wonder if this job is even THAT attractive at this point.
They’re clearly still a bit away.
They are the types who want a genuine chance to win.
That isn’t the case in Chicago.
Maybe a guy like Blashill.
I hope it is someone who has some success as an NHL Head Coach.
The Blackhawks are going to have a ton of players learning at the NHL level in the coming years.
It would be nice to have a coach who isn’t going through a similar learning curve.
A team that isn’t a laughing stock.
A team that is going to be in the lottery, but not a disorganized pushover.
I think a fresh voice and fresh eyes can help get this team back on track.
Other thoughts…
–Frank Nazar…call him up.
It’s not a desperation move.
Nazar is KILLING the American Hockey League.
Sports are supposed to be a meritocracy.
Frank Nazar is the best player in the AHL.
I have a very difficult time believing he’s not one of the Blackhawks best 6 forwards right now.
In my eyes he has earned a call-up already.
I think it’d be good for him and the organization.
You set a standard where you reward guys who earn it.
Davidson says he wants to let the roster settle in before making moves.
I say bring him up now while there’s a new energy and a new coach.
Don’t wait until things go sour again.
If you call up Nazar and he struggles…send him back down.
That’s not a bad thing.
Most NHL players go back down to the minors.
–Levshunov/Korchinski…leave them where they are for now.
D-men take long and the mistakes are usually more costly.
More roster flexibility for forwards.
–The best thing for the Blackhawks is to be picking in the top 5 again.
They need more top end talent on this team.
Who that ends up being I haven’t the slightest idea at this point.
They also need some size.
–I believe in Davidson.
I believe in Norm.
I think the Hockey Ops has largely done a good job.
Going to the United Center is the closest thing to a time-machine.
I’ve been a few times this year.
The building is empty.
The games have no juice.
It’s not a fun experience at the moment.
It’s time to be bold.
It’s time for fresh ideas and fresh blood to make the Blackhawks a first class organization again.
Make it the games fun.
Cater to and care about your fans.
