Blackhawks coach Richardson is tired of losing, and he wants his players to know it

Chicagoans have witnessed their share of honked-off coaches over the years.

We've seen Mike Ditka growl at reporters and even tell one his IQ was "zero."

Don Zimmer, Lou Piniella and Herman Franks loved kicking dirt at umpires.

Tony La Russa had to be restrained by an umpire during one argument and whipped third base toward the dugout during another.

Lee Elia's profanity-laced tirade 40 years ago is the stuff of legends.

Phil Jackson and Doug Collins could definitely lose it on questionable calls.

Mike Keenan's temper was legendary.

Heck, even Joel Quenneville could send a message with a steely glare or a well-timed pounding of the podium.

On Tuesday, it was Luke Richardson's turn to send a message after the Blackhawks' 3-0 loss to Boston. For those of us who lived through the aforementioned chicanery, it was almost stunning how Richardson showed his displeasure.

There was no yelling or screaming. No wild gestures. No R-rated language.

Instead, Richardson was like a father who gently - yet firmly - scolded his underachieving children.

You are better than this. You have more. And we will get it out of you.

"I'm kind of at the point (where I'm) tired," Richardson said. "One year's enough of 'We're a hardworking team.' We want to push for more this year.

"We start out with a good intention, but I find the other team ... is (doing a better job) in physical one-on-one battles. We've got to work on that."

While the blame always starts on the ice, it's fair to wonder if Richardson needs to make some changes.

• As I said Tuesday, maybe it's time to move Lukas Reichel to the top line and also put him on the top power play. How long does the kid have to struggle at second-line center before you pull the plug for a bit?

• Where is Mackenzie Entwistle? The hardworking forward had a strong camp, scored in his first appearance in Game 4 then sat out Games 6 and 7.

Makes little sense.

• Connor Bedard, who did have a power-play goal erased Tuesday when Boston won an offsides challenge, has been mostly invisible of late. After rifling off 36 shot attempts in his first four games, Bedard has just 9 in the last three.

"We're playing too much defense, so that just leaks into guys that are used to having more offensive opportunities," Richardson said. "Connor's the same as anybody. We've got to find a way to get shots off a little quicker."

In some ways, Richardson's frustrations are understandable. After all, the Hawks are 2-5-0 and have a measly 3 goals in the last three games.

Still, they've yet to be embarrassed despite facing three undefeated teams in Boston (twice), Colorado and Vegas as well as Pittsburgh, Montreal and Toronto.

But Richardson doesn't care how tough the schedule has been. That's no excuse for lackluster, undisciplined play. What he expects is more consistent work ethic across the board, a trait Boston displays on a nightly basis.

"Their fourth line, they work like dogs out there and they don't give you any space and time," Richardson said. "They're (defensemen) doing a great job of not letting any shots get through them. They get stick on shots where we just hold onto it a half second too long.

"We have to learn from what we're losing against and instill that in our game."