Todd Richards (ice hockey)
Todd M. Richards ( born October 20, 1966 in Crystal, Minnesota ) is a retired American professional ice hockey player and current coach. During his career he played for the Hartford Whalers in the National Hockey League on the position of the defender. Since January 2012, he has been head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL. Before that, he worked on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League as head coach and was an assistant coach of the NHL team San Jose Sharks.
- 3.1 As a player
- 3.2 As a coach
Career
Richards played during his school years, first at the Robbinsdale Armstrong High School in the U.S. state of Minnesota, before he went after graduating from the University of Minnesota. In addition to his studies, he played there for the university team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, a league in the play mode of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. In the four seasons between 1985 and 1989 Richards one of the outstanding attack-minded defenders of the WCHA. In total he posted in 167 games 158 points scorer - including a season with 51 points alone - and was elected three times between 1987 and 1989 in the Second All-Star team in the league. In addition, he reached for the seasons 1986/87 and 1988/89 with the team each the final tournament for the championship of the NCAA. They forced their way into the semifinals in 1987 and two years later before to the final, where they lost Harvard University in overtime just 4-3. Nevertheless, Richards was elected to the All- Tournament team.
After the Americans had already been selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 1985 in the second round to 33rd position of the Montreal Canadiens, he joined after completing his college education in the summer of 1989 turned professional. In his rookie year in the game 1989/ 90, the Canadiens put the defender first one in their farm team in the American Hockey League with the Sherbrooke Canadiens. He reached 24 points in 71 matches, with which he was one of the four best defenders point of the team. The following summer, he completed as part of the taking place in Sweden and Russia seasonally preparatory training camp of the Montreal Canadiens two games for the NHL team, although a Tachykardieattacke had been found with him during a training session. The two games were also the only team for the French-Canadian, he was transferred again after a few games in Montreal's farm team, shortly after the beginning of the season 1990/91 to the Hartford Whalers. There he came in the course of the season, although also mostly in the AHL with the Springfield Indians used, for which he scored 51 points in 71 games, but the Whalers also enabled him to make his debut in the National Hockey League, as Richards aground in two games of the season. In addition, he played six playoff games. Also the following game year spent the defender mostly at the Indians in the AHL, but came again in the NHL used. The six games in the regular season and five more in the playoffs were also the last NHL games in his career, which Richards more playoff graduated as one of only a few players regular season games in the NHL. This was followed by yet another season, which he spent exclusively in the AHL before his contract expired with the Whalers.
In the summer of 1993, Richards joined the Las Vegas Thunder of the International Hockey League. In his first year in the IHL, he made the jump to the Second All-Star team in the league. A year later, after completion of the 1994/95 season even the appointment of the best defenders in the league, which was awarded the Governor's Trophy, and election to the First All -Star Team. At the start of the 1995/96 season the defender moved within the IHL to the Orlando Solar Bears newly founded, which he remained faithful until the dissolution of the League after the 2000/ 01 season. During this time, Richards played the most successful hockey of his career. In the first season with the Solar Bears, he presented with 19 points, 54 templates and 73 points on personal Karrierebestmarken. In addition, he was again elected to the First All -Star team in the league and reached the finals three times with the team to the Turner Cup, Orlando, after defeats in 1996 and 1999, won in 2001 for the only time. By resolution of the IHL after the season 2000/ 01 the Americans joined in summer 2001 as a free agent for the HC Servette Geneva in the Swiss National League B. After a season in which he was voted the best defender in the league, finished he finally in the spring of 2002 his active career.
Following end of his career he undertook the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League as an assistant coach Peter Horachek. Overall, Richards worked for four years as an assistant coach in Milwaukee, including three years under Claude Noel, who took over the head coaching job of Horachek for season 2003/ 04. The greatest success for Richards was at this time winning the Calder Cup in that very season, the first time acted as head coach in the Noël. In the summer of 2006 ended his time as assistant coach of the Admirals after him had the head coach of their AHL farm team items, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins offered, the Pittsburgh Penguins. This position filled from Richards for two years and won with the team in two seasons more than 40 games. In the second year of his tenure, he led the team even down to the final series for the Calder Cup, where they, however, the Chicago Wolves defeated in six games. Despite the success with the team, he announced his contract in the summer of 2008, and accepted an offer from the San Jose Sharks of the NHL, since it was their new coach Todd McLellan, next to Trent Yawney and Jay Woodcroft, have as assistants. There mainly of Americans worked together with the power play specialists and supported McLellan in his work with the attackers. In the summer of 2009, he left the team from Northern California and was awarded the post of head coach of league rival Minnesota Wild. In the following two seasons, he missed the game with a place in the playoffs and was relieved of his duties in April 2011.
In June 2011, Richards was presented as an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He occupied the vacant position after Bob Boughner had a month earlier to leave the franchise. In January 2012, followed by Scott Arniels deposing his promotion to head coach on an interim basis at the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although Columbus missed the playoffs in the season 2012/13 scarce, the Blue Jackets his run until the end of the season 2014/15 contract extended beginning in July 2013 ahead of schedule for another season.
Awards and achievements
As a player
As a coach
- 2004 Calder Cup win with the Milwaukee Admirals ( as assistant coach )
Career Stats
As a player
( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )