Over at Hockey Wilderness, your SBNation home for all things Minnesota Wild, I offer some early thoughts on the dismissal of Todd Richards. I do not feel Todd Richards was fired soley because of on ice issues. While he certainly has coaching issues he needs to work on, most of those could be worked on in a different situation.
From Hockey Wilderness:
While it comes as absolutely no surprise, the dismissal of Todd Richards is still disappointing. Todd is a good man, and has what it takes to be a good coach. The areas where he lacks can be overcome, and can come through training. If anything, it seems Todd Richards was put in a terrible position and expected to perform a miracle.
This is pro sports, ladies and gentlemen. The GM needs to save his job, and in order to do that, someone needs to lose theirs. The players cannot be fired, and so the coach takes the fall. Could a different coach do more with the same players? Perhaps, but would the fans have been OK with that?
Please read the full post at Hockey Wilderness for my full editorial opinion.