Luke Richardson Autograph Card

After much speculation that he would join the Buffalo Sabres as their new head coach and their subsequent surprise hiring of Dan Byslma, Luke Richardson has decided to keep his old job as head coach of the AHL's Binghamton Senators for another year.

He's the one most responsible for the young players called up by the Ottawa Senators being NHL-ready and having a tremendous immediate impact, including Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone.

Himself a veteran of 1417 regular-season games (201 points, 2055 penalty minutes) and 69 playoff games (8 assists, 130 PIMs), he reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1999-2000 with the Philadelphia Flyers, and this card is a tribute to that achievement:

It's the signed insert (on-card in thin black sharpie) version of card #103 from In The Game's 1998-99 Be A Player set, showing him in the Flyers' white 1980s and 1990s home uniform.

He was tough as nails, but clean. I'm guessing as a coach he's tough and fair. One thing's for sure, he knows how to get to young adults and teach them the foundations of the game, because all of the Sens' young kids come in as effective two-way players who contribute right away.

Two (Similar) Autographed Luke Richardson Cards

You might have heard something about Mike Babcock opting to go to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the next 8 seasons... maybe. Buffalo Sabres fans are pretty angry and/or disappointed, and Detroit Red Wings fans are mostly just happy that the drama's over.

Which leaves one less option for the Sabres, with Todd McLellan having chosen the Edmonton Oilers yesterday. One AHL head coach who has NHL experience behind the bench as an assistant and 21 years as a player does have ties with Sabres GM Tim Murray, as both worked together in the Ottawa Senators organization who, like Buffalo, is rich in young talent. And the man responsible for making all the Sens' kids into adults who are ready to step in right away is none other than Luke Richardson, the former bruising defender who has accumulated over 2000 penalty minutes while suiting up for the Leafs, Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers (with whom he reached the Stanley Cup Finals), Columbus Blue Jackets (which he captained), Tampa Bay Lightning and Sens.

I think it's a no-brainer, because he's great with youngsters and can get them NHL-ready, is a terrific teacher, doesn't shy away from tough play, and wouldn't have to move far to get from Binghamton (the Sens' AHL affiliate) to Buffalo, a ride that takes roughly three hours. His family wouldn't feel too out of place.

I have met Richardson a few times in my life, and got him to sign cards for me on a couple of occasions. One of these is from my teens years (early 1990s), while the other was signed while he played for the Sens, in 2007:

They both show him wearing the Leafs' 1990s blue (away) uniform, battling for the puck with the Minnesota North Stars' Brian Bellows, and are from Upper Deck's 1990-91 Series 1 set (it's card #362 in the collection), signed in blue sharpie.

Luke Richardson Autographed Card

Luke Richardson was chosen in the first round (7th overall) of the 1987 NHL draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, ahead of Joe Sakic (15th), Andrew Cassels (17th), John LeClair (33rd), Jeff Hackett (34th), Éric Desjardins (38th), Mathieu Schneider (44th), Guy Hebert (159th), and Theoren Fleury (166th).

Sarcastic people might say that explains why the Leafs were so bad for so long, foregoing such quality offensive leaders and steady #1 goaltenders in favour of a defensive defenseman, but not only was Richardson one of their better picks of the late 1980s, he was also a true leader, having even captained the Columbus Blue Jackets later in his career.

He played for an astonishing 21 NHL Seasons (surprising not just because it proves his value on the blue line and in the dressing room, but also because of his tough and bruising style of play), during which he played 1417 regular-season games (201 points, 2055 penalty minutes) and 69 playoff games (8 assists, 130 PIMs), during which he came close to a Stanley Cup championship, losing in the Finals, in 1999-2000 with the Philadelphia Flyers.

I got him to sign this card (and another one I can't seem to find at the moment) during the 2007-08 season when he was with the Ottawa Senators, from Upper Deck's 2005-06 Parkhurst set (card #463), signed in blue sharpie, representing him with the Leafs' white uniform:

Famously physically tough, he overcame a terrible Dino Ciccarelli clubbing to the head in his rookie season - one which earned Ciccarelli some prison time - but it's his mental toughness and resilience that has shown of late, particularly when his daughter committed suicide in late 2010, which I'm only mentioning to show this video, at a time when mental illness is at the forefront of many social discussions in Québec, Canada, and the U.S.:


Now the head coach of the Binghamton Senators, he is the one mostly responsible for Ottawa's quality NHL youngsters, which he not only helps become better hockey players, but better people, and good human beings. (I really like the string of kids making their way to the Sens' line-up these past couple of years).