Richardson has led Chicago since the start of the 2022-23 season and finishes with a 57-118-15 record. In addition, the Blackhawks have lost 10 of their last 13 games and management has run out of patience. It's time for a change. "We've started to rebuild the roster, but the results are not meeting expectations," said general manager Kyle Davidson.
"We thank Luke and his family and continue to wish them the best," he continued in reference to the third coach fired in the NHL this year.
The Blackhawks, currently the league's worst unit with 18 points, were taken over by Sörensen, who became the first-ever Swede to take over as an NHL head coach. The Södertälje native has been an assistant coach in Rockford since the 2018-19 season and will become the team's head coach in November 2022.
The Blackhawks will also be led by Czech goaltender and current world champion Petr Mrazek, and according to initial information, he should be with the team until at least the end of this season. After that, a decision will be made about his future. Chicago have only made the playoffs once in the last seven years.
Only two European coaches have been in the NHL before Sorensen; Chicago also hired Finnish Alpo Suhonen in the summer of 2000 and Pittsburgh hired Olympic champions coach Ivan Hlinka.
The Blackhawks recalled Suhonen after a single season in which Chicago scored 71 points and finished fourth from last in the Western Conference. Hlinka led Pittsburgh to the conference finals with Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux, but was on the bench for only four games the following season and retired.