Music: {allcanada} SENATORS NAME RICHARDSON HEAD COACH OF AHL AFFILIATE

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

{allcanada} SENATORS NAME RICHARDSON HEAD COACH OF AHL AFFILIATE

The Ottawa Senators named Luke Richardson head coach of its American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators on Wednesday. The contract is a two-year deal and Richardson will be joined by assistant coach Steve Stirling and video coach Matt Meacham.

Richardson has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with his hometown Ottawa Senators. He began his coaching career following his retirement as an active player during 2008-09 campaign, joining the Ottawa coaching staff for the final three months of the season.

A 20-year NHL veteran, Richardson played in 1,417 career games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Senators, recording 35 goals, 166 assists and 2,055 penalty minutes. He added eight assists and 130 penalty minutes in 69 career NHL playoff games.

The seventh head coach in Binghamton Senators franchise history, Richardson replaces Kurt Kleinendorst, who coached the club the last two seasons.

Stirling returns for his third season as an assistant coach after joining the team on Aug. 26, 2010. Prior to joining the Senators, he coached the Iserlohn Roosters of the German elite hockey league in 2008-09. He spent the 2007-08 season as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, following one year with the Springfield Falcons (the Lightning's former affiliate) in 2006-07.