Blackhawks fire Luke Richardson after failing to match expectations

The Chicago Blackhawks did something few expected on Thursday, firing head coach Luke Richardson after an 8-16-2 start to the 2024-25 NHL Season.

After finishing in second to last place last season with a 23-53-6 record, the Chicago Blackhawks went out and boosted their roster. General manager Kyle Davidson added players like Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, Pat Maroon, TJ Brodie, Alex Martinez and Ily Mikheyev to the organization looking to make the team better.

Yet, this season has seen the Blackhawks be nothing near better. Connor Bedard has struggled with just five goals in 26 games; Bertuzzi and Teravainen have rarely been used at five on five with Bedard; and it seems like most night the Hawks are finding different ways to lose close games.

The Hawks latest four game losing streak was enough for general manager Kyle Davidson to fire his first head coach he hired in Richardson.

The Blackhawks announced the coaching change in a news release at 4 p.m. 

“Today I made the difficult decision to move on from Luke as our head coach. We thank him for his efforts and contributions to the organization and our community,” Davidson said in a statement. “As we have begun to take steps forward in our rebuilding process, we felt that the results did not match our expectations for a higher level of execution this season and ultimately came to the decision that a change was necessary. We wish Luke and his family all the best moving forward.”

The Blackhawks making the coaching change right now sends a clear message that management expects more out of the rebuilding squad.

The Blackhawks also announced Anders Sorensen, head coach of the Rockford IceHogs, as the new interim head coach. Blackhawks assistant G.M. Mark Eaton will assume coaching responsibilities in Rockford.

The Blackhawks will play their next game on Saturday at home against the Winnipeg Jets. This is the second major coaching change in the Windy City within the past week after the Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus last Friday.

For more Blackhawks News from Jim Lynch and Brooke LoFurno, visit Chicago Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.

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