On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced the addition of Todd Richards to their coaching staff as an assistant. Richards was the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets for parts of five seasons and led Columbus to its first back-to-back 40-win seasons in franchise history as well as the Blue Jackets’ first and only playoff victories. Richards also has two years of head coaching experience with the Minnesota Wild.
Shortly after the announcement, the Crystal, Minn., native took time out of his schedule to chat with tampabaylightning.com about why he felt joining Tampa Bay was a “good fit,” his connections to other coaches on staff and the greatest accomplishments over his 14-year coaching career.