Maybe it’s time for Cool Hand Luke.
Exactly one week before the Canadiens’ 9-2 collapse against the Penguins Thursday night, the Chicago Blackhawks fired head coach Luke Richardson.
The firing was as predictable as it was unfair. It’s not Richardson’s fault that the Blackhawks are a dysfunctional organization and a frequent embarrassment to the league, or that “generational” draft pick Connor Bedard has struggled to score goals coming out of the gate.
Whatever, the Blackhawks are now the problem of interim head coach Anders Sorensen, the first Swedish born coach in the NHL. The Canadiens, down a coach since allowing Alexandre Burrows to step down during the off-season, look like a team that could use an extra pair of eyes behind the bench. If not Richardson, then call Gerard Gallant, another very experienced coach — but Richardson is the one with the defensive resumé.
Richardson was a tower of power during the Cup run in the summer of 2021. Chosen seventh overall by the Leafs in 1987, Richardson was a steady presence on the blue line for Toronto, Edmonton, Philadelphia, Columbus, Tampa and Ottawa during a playing career that spanned 1,417 games and 2,014 penalty minutes.
Richardson has a long coaching resumé as well: Three seasons as an assistant coach with the Senators, four as head coach of the Binghamton Senators, one season as an assisting with the Islanders and four with the Canadiens before he was named to coach the Blackhawks.
After suffering 7-2, 8-2 and 9-2 blowouts at home this season, the Canadiens need someone with the experience to help figure out why the team is seemingly prone to collapse and giving up goals in quick bunches in games. They need help to stop the bleeding — and if that steps on the toes of assistants Trevor Letowski and Stéphane Robidas or coaching consultant Roger Grillo, they’ll just have to adjust.
Against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins Thursday, Martin St. Louis’s club came undone late after battling Pittsburgh on pretty even terms through the first two periods. Normally, you learn nothing from blowouts — but when it happens to you three times at home in your first 29 games, there’s a problem, especially when you’re losing to teams that are mediocre or just plain bad.
It started Oct. 22 with a 7-2 loss against the imploding New York Rangers at the Bell Centre. A week later, it was the expansion Kraken (not to be confused with the Vegas Knights) who took the Habs down 8-2. Then came Thursday’s debacle against the aging Penguins. The Canadiens went into the third period with a record of 0-11 when trailing after two. It’s now 0-12 after Pittsburgh scored six times on 14 shots, including twice in 59 seconds.
Truth be told, the Habs probably lost when David Savard was a last-minute scratch with an upper-body injury. With Jayden Struble playing on his wrong side replacing him, the Canadiens struggled on the penalty kill and pretty much everywhere else. Fans were all over Mike Matheson and Cayden Primeau after the game — but Matheson’s fluffs came early and Primeau entered the game late, replacing Samuel Montembeault when it was already 6-2.
It was an equal opportunity collapse and it could have been worse. After Joel Armia scored to pull the Habs within 3-2 in the second period, Struble and Justin Barron gave up a clean breakaway to Evgeni Malkin. Malkin hit the post with a backhand and the puck somehow hit the back of Montembeault’s leg without bouncing into the net.
Then came the third-period flood: Rickard Rakell got his second of the night at the 4:40 mark after Patrik Laine was caught chasing the puck. Montrealer Kris Letang made it 5-2 on a bad-angle shot off the power play with Josh Anderson in the box for high-sticking.
Less than a minute later, Emil Heineman had the puck bounce over his stick as he attempted to clear the zone, Lane Hutson lost his man and Anthony Beauvillier made it 6-2. Montembeault took a seat and Bryan Rust completed the hat trick against Primeau after Kaiden Guhle’s desperate attempt to clear the puck went right onto his stick.
Guhle was on the ice again with Arber Xhekaj when Matt Nieto scored his first goal of the season to make it 8-2 and Noel Acciardi picked up his third goal and completed the carnage after Struble fell at the blue line.
I don’t know if Luke Richardson can help stop the bleeding, or whether he’d rather wait to see if another head coaching opportunity opens up. The fragile young Canadiens look like a team that can use all the help they can get — behind the bench and pretty much everywhere else.
What they need most is a coach who can help organize the defence as a five-man unit. That’s where Luke Richardson comes in. After three not especially impressive wins on a five-game homestand that ended with a collapse, they play eight of their next 10 games on the road.
It’s time. If I’m Kent Hughes, I have a chat with St. Louis, then place a call to Cool Hand Luke.
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