A familiar coach runs the Chicago Blackhawks practice and Luke Richardson is nowhere to be found

PUBLICATION

Joshua Deeds
October 25, 2024 (4:08 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Chicago Blackhawks had a special guest today at the morning skate for the team. The skate was optional meant, not everyone had to be there, but instead of Luke Richardson leading the fray, Derek King did.

King hasn't made a good name for himself in Chicago, as his coaching style and media scrums left a terrible taste in the mouths of fans everywhere.

Take a statement fromKing in 2022, about the Blackhawks team he was leading at the beginning of the rebuild.

"Look, I know you all want to win the Stanley Cup, and it's what you've been aspiring to since you were children. At the end of thy day though, you just aren't good enough. Maybe next year after some of you have been traded for draft picks. Until then, this is the best you can collectively do. Now, GO TEAM on 3!"

There's something to be said about leadership, and how you conduct yourself in the spotlight.

We're not sure whether King was just too brash, but honestly, if King was leading the way with Richardson as Assistant Coach, we're not sure if the team would be even worse than it already is.

King was named interim coach for the Blackhawks on November 6th, 2021, and fortunately, that experiment was ended soon after.

Chicago won four straight games and finished the month 6-3-0 after beginning the season 1-7-0. King finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 27-33-10 coaching record.

There's no telling if King's role as an assistant coach in the NHL has been helpful for the Blackhawks rebuild.

It seems that the Blackhawks should be more competitive than they already are. But remain questionable when it comes to finishing the job some nights against opponents, like the Winnipeg Jets, and Vancouver Canucks.

There should be improvements and goals set for the coaching staff, and is Luke Richardson hitting them, with Derek King as an ancillary in the staff itself?

It's easy to speculate as of now, but the truth will come out whether we see the end of Richardson's tenure in the future.