Gone Puck Wild
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Minnesota Wild: All-Time Head Coaches Ranked

By Cody Defoe

ST. LOUIS, MO - NOVEMBER 26: Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau looks up at the scoreboard as assistant coach John Anderson talks to the team during a time out during a NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues on November 26, 2016, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The Blues won in a shootout 4-3. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - NOVEMBER 26: Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau looks up at the scoreboard as assistant coach John Anderson talks to the team during a time out during a NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues on November 26, 2016, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The Blues won in a shootout 4-3. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Wild
SAINT PAUL, MN – OCTOBER 16: Minnesota Wild Head Coach Todd Richards watches from behind the bench against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on October 16, 2010 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /

#5 Todd Richards (2009-2011) (77-71-16)

In the Summer of 2009 the Minnesota Wild were looking for a new head coach for the very first time since entering the league in 2000. With successful veteran coaches including Pat Quinn, Peter Laviolette, and Craig MacTavish available during the 2009 offseason, GM Chuck Fletcher opted to go the unproven route with his first Head Coaching hire.

Todd Richards, then an assistant with the San Jose Sharks, was brought in to transition the Wild to an offense first team. Richards was a bright eyed rookie coach, looking to make an impact at the NHL Level.

Richards first task as Head Coach would be to find a way to work an offensive mentality into a Minnesota Wild team who had spent 9 seasons as a defense first franchise. Working with a roster containing Mikko Koivu, Brent Burns, Andrew Brunette, Martin Havlat, and Owen Nolan this was a tall order of business for a first time coach.

Ultimately, this was the draft that brought Mikael Granlund and Jason Zucker to the Wild, so it wasn’t all bad finishing where they did.

His first season ended 11 points back of a playoff spot, taking a major step backwards for a team that missed the playoffs by 2 points the previous season.

After a full season as coach, he came into his second season with much higher expectations and a roster that hadn’t changed much. At the end of the season, and another finish 11 points out of the playoffs, it was abundantly clear that Richards could not do what Chuck Fletcher and the Minnesota Wild were requesting of him.

Richards was relieved of his duties immediately following the 2010-11 season after 2 years with the team. He finished his time with the Wild with a 51.8% Winning percentage (per hockey-reference.com), 2 seasons out of the playoffs, back-to-back Top 10 Draft Picks, and ultimately playing Brent Burns into a trade away from Minnesota.

Richards lasting legacy on the team will be for what his failures brought to the team, moreso than what he did as coach. Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker, Jonas Brodin, and Nick Seeler were all picks in the subsequent drafts during Richards 2 seasons as coach. Brent Burns second season with Richards was, at the time, a career pinnacle.

As fans, those 2 seasons were a struggle to get through, but in hindsight at least it lead to a solid generation of future players.

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