I’ll be back on here later on this afternoon or early evening to discuss more in depth the Richards news conference, the nitty-gritty details of what was discussed in the post-press conference scrums (that’s where the most interesting news items or details always come from because that’s when we ask actual specifics) and a number of other items surrounding the Wild.

But I wanted to throw up the presser, as transcribed by Brian Stensaas (many thanks), and San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan, who did a conference call with myself and two other local writers. Remember, not only was McLellan Richard’s boss in San Jose, but he coached for a long time in the Wild organization in Houston. So he knows Koivu, Burns, Veilleux (likely gone), Boogaard, Bouchard, Harding from the Aeros and others like Schultz from training camp.

I also just got off the horn with Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, who was nice enough to call me back between Cup celebrations. I’ll throw that up later.

Here is Todd McLellan:

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First, here is the Todd Richards story for Tuesday’s editions

And, here is the player reaction sidebar and Tom Lynn dismissal short (the Chuck Fletcher quote on Schultz was from a sitdown I had with him last Thursday). 

During the Wild’s month-long GM search, owner Craig Leipold had in-person interviewees give them a list of three coaching candidates they’d likely rank 1-2-3 if they had the opportunity to hire one in Minnesota (at least, this is what I’m told by sources).

As you know by my coverage, I talked to a horde of GM candidates over those several weeks, and I asked them the same question. Of the six or seven that did answer that question for me, Todd Richards was on at least five of the lists, including a few that actually got in-person interviews. He was considered that much of an up-and-comer in his incredible fast track from player (2002) to coach.

So you know Leipold heard this name a lot during that month and thus is very comfortable with this hire, and trust me, this was all Chuck Fletcher. As Leipold said at his news conference to introduce Fletcher, he gave the new GM full authority to build his own Stanley Cup-caliber team from top to bottom. That meant final authority on coaches, players and his hockey ops and scouting departments — as proven by today’s firing of longtime assistant GM Tom Lynn.

So, why Richards? I’ve talked to many of his friends and colleagues the last month because I was 100 percent positive he’d top Fletcher’s coaching search list in particular. So I feel I’ve gotten at least a little glimpse into what type of person he is and his personality (and by the way, everybody says he’s just a great guy with a lot of character). 

First and foremost,

Fletcher feels it imperative to have a close working relationship with the new coach (Fletcher’s going to be around the team every single game the first half of the season), and the two of them became very close and grew a mutual respect for each other after Fletcher hired him in Wilkes-Barre. In fact, Fletcher recommended that Richards stay in Wilkes-Barre instead of taking the San Jose job because he was so certain he’d soon be an NHL coach. Ironically, Michel Therrien was eventually fired by the Penguins, and Richards would have gotten the job in Pittsburgh instead of Dan Bylsma. Well, who would have thought, but Fletcher gets the Wild job and Richards get to return to his hometown.

Second, Richards is an offensive-minded coach. He believes in pursuing the puck and attacking with it. He believes in hard-nosed hockey, up-tempo hockey and an activating blue line. And whattyaknow, Fletcher believes in the same type of hockey. So there’s an immediate mesh.

Third, and this could be the most important,

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According to multiple NHL sources, San Jose Sharks assistant coach Todd Richards will become the second Wild coach in history. A news conference to “introduce the Wild’s new head coach” will  be made by new GM Chuck Fletcher on Tuesday at noon at Gate 1 of Xcel Energy Center.

Sources say Richards will succeed Jacques Lemaire, who resigned after the 2008-09 season.

Richards, 42, a native of Crystal, Minn., and a former Gophers defenseman and captain, spent last season in San Jose as Todd McLellan’s assistant. This came after two seasons as the head coach with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He brought the Baby Pens to the Calder Cup Finals in his final season. That’s where he was hired by and became tight with then-Penguins assistant GM and Wilkes-Barre GM Chuck Fletcher.

Richards spent four seasons as an assistant in Milwaukee. The Admirals won one Calder Cup and went to the Finals another year during his tenure.

He won two WCHA titles with the Gophers as a player, a 1991 Calder Cup with Springfield, a 2001 Turner Cup with Orlando (IHL) and a 2002 Swiss-B League title with Servette Geneve. He was the IHL Defenseman of the Year in 1993-94 while playing in Las Vegas and used to be the U’s assists-record holder. His brother, Travis, also used to be a Gophers captain.

Todd’s got a track record of winning everywhere he’s been as a player and coach.

Over the past month, I’ve talked to scores of people who know and coached with Richards. He is an aggressive, up-tempo coach that fits the style Fletcher wants to play. As one NHL assistant coach who worked with Richards just told me, he’s going to coach the way he played. He won’t be a sit-back and watch coach, the person said. He’s going to activate his defense and go-go-go.

There may be some concern out there that Richards has only been in the NHL for a year as a coach, but remember, you need to start somewhere and there are tons of successful coaches in the NHL that had limited experience in the big league before they got here — guys like Mike Babcock, Bruce Boudreau and most recently Dan Bylsma.

Here is Richards’ bio on the San Jose Sharks’ web site.

Also, assistant GM Tom Lynn has been fired. I felt this was coming, especially after talking with GM Chuck Fletcher a few weeks ago and he made it a point to make clear to me he never ever told Lynn or Tommy Thompson they were staying.

More on this later, including whom I think has a good chance of replacing Lynn.

“We thank Tom Lynn for all his service and contributions to the Wild organization and wish Tom and his family future success,” said Fletcher in a statement.

So my phone rings this afternoon, I look at the caller id and it says, “Jacques Lemaire.”

I answered and Mssr. Lemaire proceeded to have a little fun with yours truly.

“Michael,” in that unmistakeable voice, “I got a job. I’m working again. I’ve got a scoop for you.”

Excitedly, I say, “Oh yeah,” while I quickly open my blog admin so I can literally publish what he says as he says it.

“Yeah, listen,” Lemaire said.

And all of a sudden, I hear unbelievably loudly, “Vrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.”

I go, “What the hell was that?” He goes, “A bench saw. I’m building a basement closet,” before he HYSTERICALLY started laughing.

Evil. Just evil.

I thought I got the New Jersey Devils scoop and this guy’s “been put to work by my wife.”

Then Lemaire gave his trademark, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” knowing that he got me.

I said, “Jacques, you better be careful. You already broke your elbow and shoulder this year.”

He said, “I’m watching my fingers. I won’t be able to shoot without them.”

I said, “How’s it possible to build a basement closet in Florida? I lived in Florida. You’re going to hit the ocean.”

He goes, “I’m in Montreal. If I was doing this in Florida, it’d be an entrance.” 

Have I mentioned Lemaire will be missed?

Lemaire was giving me a ring back from a few days ago when I called him about five minutes after Devils coach Brent Sutter quit.

Asked if he’s returning to the Devils as coach (he coached them from 93-98 and won a Cup there in 95), Lemaire said, “I can’t talk about that. There’s nothing done yet. There’s nothing that I can talk about right now.”

I told him I bet Brian Rolston wishes he comes there and Lemaire laughed and said, “Problem is he’s not the guy that decides.”

There’s no doubt though that Lemaire is interested in going back. He said he realized during the playoffs that instead of just taking any consulting job that came down the pike, maybe he does still want to coach in the right situation.

“That’s the thing I haven’t decided. After the season, I thought I was going consultant so I can be with the kids and the grandkids. But as I mentioned at that time, I’m not closing the door on coaching. I’ll look at the two options, and if I’m going to be busy, I’m going to be busy. So maybe I want to coach. We’ll see.”

The only other coaching job out there right now besides New Jersey and Minnesota is Calgary, and he’s not going to Calgary. 

If Lou Lamoriello calls Lemaire and the fit’s right, I bet he goes. Otherwise, he’ll take one of the consulting jobs.

He said he plans to come to stop by the Draft in Montreal “even if there’s nothing done, and then the Montreal press can speculate again. The day Jacques Martin was hired here, a radio station did a poll, who’d you rather have, Jacques Martin or Jacques Lemaire. Imagine that? Imagine that? Poor guy.”

Onward –

The Wild currently has the 12th overall pick (I bet they move down to try to gain more picks) in the June 26 Draft and assistant General Manager Tommy Thompson plans to bring five or six possible draft picks into Minnesota for tours of Xcel Energy Center and examinations by team orthopedist Joel Boyd. I’ll write more about this as the Draft approaches.

Three won’t have to come far though because they’re local – University of Minnesota’s Jordan Schroeder, Eden Prairie’s Nick Leddy and Edina’s Zach Budish.

“I’ve also invited myself into their homes for visits with their families,” Thompson said. “I’m not trying to make a moral judgment, but I want to see their personalities and their relationships with the parents.
“We don’t want any surprises.”

Also, I chatted with Chuck Fletcher for awhile today. He’s made significant progress in the coaching search, but he said he still has more work to do through the weekend and early next week. He said he’s not done interviewing candidates, and I think Red Wings assistant Paul MacLean will be one and it wouldn’t shock me if he called fired Dallas coach Dave Tippett, whose wife is from Minnesota and lives near Detroit Lakes. As I mentioned, Peter Laviolette is a top candidate.

But at the end of the day, I really believe it’s still going to be San Jose assistant Todd Richards. The more people I talk to about Richards, the better things I hear. He’s a very respected coach.

The worst kept secret in hockey — or worst kept speculation in hockey — literally since last winter appears to be coming into fruition. According to CTV in Calgary, Brent Sutter will step down as the coach of the Devils today.

Sutter’s tenure there ended in devastating fashion. In Game 7 back in April, the Carolina Hurricanes went from being 1:20 away from their season ending to ending the season of the Devils with 32 seconds left.

I’d expect that Jacques Lemaire will at least get a phone call to see if he’s interested in returning to Jersey.

Lemaire, who has yet to sign on as a consultant in Tampa for some reason, made it crystal clear after he left Minnesota that he does want to coach again. But he also made it crystal clear that if he ever were to coach again, it has to be for a general manager he has a relationship with. And he said it has to be on the East coast.

Well, there aren’t a lot of options with so many limitations. 

Lemaire coached the Devils from 1993-98, winning a Cup there in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season. He and GM Lou Lamoriello still have great mutual respect for each other, proof by the hour they spent in the stands chatting each other up when the Wild was there in March.

Only time will tell, but this has been my gut feeling from the moment Lemaire said he wanted to coach again after the season finale in Columbus. Just to make clear, this is pure conjecture though.

I spoke with Wild assistant coach Mario Tremblay this afternoon, or actually former Wild assistant coach Mario Tremblay. As expected, Tremblay said he’s moving on and will be leaving Minnesota.

Tremblay said he was informed by Wild GM Chuck Fletcher he didn’t make the short list of candidates to be head coach. He was disappointed but completely understood Fletcher’s decision. He said he’ll move on and look for another job. Rumors in Montreal are that he’ll join Jacques Martin’s staff as an assistant. Tremblay said he hopes that is the case, but he said he’s spoken to nobody with the Canadiens.

He said he had a wonderful nine years in Minnesota and wanted me to make sure to thank the fans. On a personal note, just a great dude to deal with for my purposes. He was a walking cartoon character.

He said he hopes Mike Ramsey’s not in the same boat. Ramsey is also in the last year of his contract, and he said he very much hopes the new coach retains Ramsey and that he deserves to stay. If Ramsey is not retained, I know for a fact Tampa Bay wants him as an assistant. But with young kids and roots here, I’m not sure Ramsey’s going to chase jobs or be willing to uproot his family from Minnetonka.

Bob Mason and Matt Shaw have one year left on their deals, Tremblay said, and like I’ve been writing on here, I think they have a tremendous chance of staying.

Mason has done an extraordinary job as the Wild’s goalie coach, and most smart new head coaches don’t mess with a goalie’s goalie coach without talking to that goalie, in this case Nik Backstrom. You should have heard the other end of the call in the summer of 2004 when I called Roberto Luongo during his honeymoon in Hawaii to get reaction about Clint Malarchuk being fired. Luongo’s response, “What the $^#%% did you just say?”

Oh, that Jacques Martin.

And trust me, from somebody that sees the behind the scenes of the Wild, Shaw made this coaching staff tick. He does all the legwork and video work and lots of the gameplanning. He’s a bright, young guy.

Also, I spoke with Edmonton Journal hockey writer Jim Matheson today. Craig MacTavish hadn’t spoken publicly since he was let go, but Jim got MacT on the horn today. He wouldn’t comment on my report saying that he has been interviewed by the Wild, but he said he wants to coach again and won’t sit out forever.

Of the candidates I’ve reported, MacTavish knows the Wild better than any of them just because he’s coached against them six to eight times a year since 2000. Of course, since I began covering the team, the Wild had his number, too. MacTavish is considered a pretty defensive coach — not Jacques Lemaire defensive — but defensive. But he likes aggressive, up-tempo play, too.

I’m sure MacTavish had an impressive interview. If you know him, he’s a very engaging, personable, well-spoken guy, so I’m sure he charmed them.

OK, that is it for now.