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HC Luke Richardson makes his feelings known about Chicago Blackhawks D-man's minus-4 outing versus Bruins
Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson made his feelings known about defenseman Alec Martinez's performance in the team's 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
Martinez faced significant challenges at United Center during the game, having blocked one shot in the opening period and left to the locker room. He ended the night with a team-worst minus-4 rating, while no other player on the team was worse than a minus-2.
After the game, Richardson acknowledged the difficulties Martinez faced, noting that he was sore for the remainder of the matchup but continued to play.
"He blocked that shot and he was pretty sore the rest of the game, but he marched on... That's just a tough night. Every time he was on the ice, they seemed to score. But not really anything directly to him," Richardson said.
Alec Martinez signed a one-year, $4 million extension with the Blackhawks earlier in July. He will become a UFA at the end of the 2024-25 season.
This term, the veteran defenseman has accumulated three points through as many assists in 14 games with a minus-8 rating in 14 games.
Chicago Blackhawks star snubbed by Team Canada for 4 Nations Face-Off
Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard was not selected for Team Canada's roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off competition, which begins on Feb. 12, 2025.
GM Don Sweeney explained the decision to exclude Bedard, highlighting various factors that influenced the selection process:
“Each and every one of those players are neat in their own way. We just felt that we weren't going to push aside anybody that deserved and earned an opportunity to play in this event now," Sweeney said via 'Hockey Central'.
"Down the road, you’re 100% right we may have to change direction at some point,” he noted. “Hopefully, each, every one of those guys you referenced, will continue to make it harder on us...," he added.
Bedard has gotten off to a rough start in his second season with the Blackhawks. So far he has recorded five goals and 10 points in 26 games.
Meanwhile, Chicago is winless in its last four games and is sitting at the bottom of the Central Division and the overall league standings with an 8-16-2 record after 26 games.
The Blackhawks host the Winnipeg Jets at United Center next on Saturday.
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