University of Minnesota Athletics
Richards Wins Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay
9/26/2020 9:37:00 PM | Men's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – One of the best to ever play on the Gopher Hockey blue line is now a Stanley Cup champion as All-American alum and former Minnesota captain Todd Richards became the 11th Pride on Ice product to help his team to an NHL playoff championship.
An assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Richards guided the Eastern Conference champions to a 4-2 series win in the Stanley Cup final – culminating with a 2-0 win on Monday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
Gopher Hockey's all-time leading scorer among defensemen will be the 11th University of Minnesota alum to have his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup – joining Mike Polich (1977), Frank Pietrangelo (1991), Bob Johnson (1991, posthumously in 1992), Tom Chorske (1995), Neal Broten (1995), Chris McAlpine (1995), Ben Clymer (2004), Alex Goligoski (2009), Nick Leddy (2013) and Phil Kessel (2016, 2017). Richards is the second 'U' alum to win the Stanley Cup as an NHL coach after Johnson.
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.
An assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Richards guided the Eastern Conference champions to a 4-2 series win in the Stanley Cup final – culminating with a 2-0 win on Monday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
Gopher Hockey's all-time leading scorer among defensemen will be the 11th University of Minnesota alum to have his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup – joining Mike Polich (1977), Frank Pietrangelo (1991), Bob Johnson (1991, posthumously in 1992), Tom Chorske (1995), Neal Broten (1995), Chris McAlpine (1995), Ben Clymer (2004), Alex Goligoski (2009), Nick Leddy (2013) and Phil Kessel (2016, 2017). Richards is the second 'U' alum to win the Stanley Cup as an NHL coach after Johnson.
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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