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Minnesota Represented by Todd Richards in Stanley Cup Final
9/18/2020 1:01:00 PM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – Gopher Hockey's all-time leading scorer among defensemen will represent the University of Minnesota in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final as All-American alum and former captain Todd Richards will be on the bench as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Western Conference champion Dallas Stars begin the 2020 Stanley Cup Final on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. CT (TV: NBC). All games in the best-of-seven series will be played at Rogers Place in Edmonton.Â
A native of Crystal, Minn., Richards is in his fourth season with the Lightning in addition to his more than 400 games of NHL head coaching experience in seven seasons between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild.
As a member of the Maroon & Gold, Richards served as team captain as a senior and was a Second Team All-American during the 1988-89 season. His 158 career points and 128 career assists still rank first among Gopher Hockey all-time defensemen (he is tied for fifth among all alums in assists). In his four-years with the Gophers, the team made four-straight NCAA Frozen Four appearances while picking up regular-season conference titles in 1988 and 1989.
On the international stage, Richards served as head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team and guided the team to a bronze medal at the 2015 IIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic after serving as an assistant coach for the team in 2010 and 2016. Richards was also an assistant coach for the U.S. Men's Olympic Team for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
Richards was drafted 33rd overall by the Montreal Canadiens at the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in 1990 and skated in eight NHL games with four assists.
The Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Western Conference champion Dallas Stars begin the 2020 Stanley Cup Final on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. CT (TV: NBC). All games in the best-of-seven series will be played at Rogers Place in Edmonton.Â
A native of Crystal, Minn., Richards is in his fourth season with the Lightning in addition to his more than 400 games of NHL head coaching experience in seven seasons between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild.
As a member of the Maroon & Gold, Richards served as team captain as a senior and was a Second Team All-American during the 1988-89 season. His 158 career points and 128 career assists still rank first among Gopher Hockey all-time defensemen (he is tied for fifth among all alums in assists). In his four-years with the Gophers, the team made four-straight NCAA Frozen Four appearances while picking up regular-season conference titles in 1988 and 1989.
On the international stage, Richards served as head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team and guided the team to a bronze medal at the 2015 IIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic after serving as an assistant coach for the team in 2010 and 2016. Richards was also an assistant coach for the U.S. Men's Olympic Team for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
Richards was drafted 33rd overall by the Montreal Canadiens at the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in 1990 and skated in eight NHL games with four assists.
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