Richardson out as coach of reeling Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks fired coach Luke Richardson on Thursday after just eight wins in their first 26 games left them with the worst record in the league.

The team announced the move in a release, noting that Anders Sorensen, the coach of its AHL affiliate in Rockford, will take over on an interim basis.

“We have begun to take steps forward in our rebuilding process, we felt that the results did not match our expectations for a higher level of execution this season and ultimately came to the decision that a change was necessary,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said. “We wish Luke and his family all the best moving forward.”

Chicago (8-16-2) is winless in its last four games and has a league-low 18 points. The firing Thursday came a day after a 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins.