Head coach Richardson has been early steadying hand for Blackhawks

As the Blackhawks' morning skate came to a close on Tuesday, the defensemen worked on their one-timers while the forwards worked at the other end of the ice.

Head coach Luke Richardson looked on and just flipped pucks up toward the net on which the defensemen were shooting.

He was trying to get one to land perfectly on the top of the goal. It took him a good amount of tries on Tuesday, and he had to try different spots to shoot from, but he made it happen. He finally landed one, and with no reaction or recognition from others around him, he skated away.

It's not the first time he's done this during morning skate, but it's an accurate representation of how he's captaining this ship.

With forceful slapshots whizzing by the goal, clanging off the posts, and rolling off the glass in Richardson's direction, he just calmly keeps playing his game.

"Not too up, not too down," said Patrick Kane of his new coach's demeanor. "Very even-keeled the whole time. No matter if it's been a good game for us, it kind of brings us back down to earth a little bit. Or a bad game, he might say it's not that bad. But, yeah, just kind of keep working on the same things."

Richardson was an NHL defenseman for 21 years and played in 1,417 games for six teams across his career.

As a player, Richardson admits he was never that calm.

"When I was too even-keeled as a player, coaches told me that wasn't my game," he said. "Play mean, chase Troy Murray around as much as possible ... I wasn't much in the dressing room, but I was on the bench and the ice. I know people say you can't flip a switch, but I guess I did."

Hawks' captain Jonathan Toews has firsthand experience with the other side of that switch, noting after morning skate Richardson's cool presence during a tumultuous preseason gave the team confidence to start the year.

"I try and keep it like that," Richardson said. "Players tend to have a feeling of what's going on behind them, and they take on that personality. If you're going bananas all game and too emotional ... I think the players get off their game."