Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson is ready for a game-changing switch up

Chicago may be one of America's most iconic cities, home to some of the most storied sports teams in history. Lately, however, performance has disappointed fans to a level where teams could be easily labeled "historically bad." The Chicago Bears finished 23rd in last season's NFL, the Blackhawks ranked 31st in the NHL, and now the White Sox are dead last in Major League Baseball. These numbers serve as an indication that Chicago sports have indeed taken a beating.

With all these teams struggling, one cannot simply point to the players. These are professional hockey players who are fully capable of high-level performances if put in the right environment with the proper support to get that job done. In an effort to change the trajectory of the team, Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson has decided to work with player speed. Taking a cue from the great skating of Hampus Lindholm and David Pastrnak in last season's Stanley Cup playoffs, Richardson wants more breakaways inserted into the team's game plan.

This is just the medicine the Blackhawks might need. The fastest "runners" the Blackhawks will ice include Andreas Athanasiou, Ilya Mikheyev, and young winger Lukas Reichel, who has spent this past summer working his tail off in a rigorous training camp. Richardson has already noticed some marked changes in both speed and physicality during training camp which could be an indicator that the arrow is pointing in the right direction for the team.

The Blackhawks open their regular season on Tuesday, October 8, hosting the Utah Hockey Club. That game should indicate if the formula implemented by Richardson is going to work. With additional quickness and a more aggressive style of play, the team wishes its fortunes to be reversed.

Of course, while the Chicago sports teams have been having a tough run of it lately, that focus on speed by the Blackhawks just might be that very element that changes everything around. It remains to be seen whether that new methodology will bring about a resurgence or more disappointment.