Richardson inducted into Hall of Fame

Ken Richardson, a hard-checking defensive hockey player with a solid work ethic, has been elected to the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame. North Bay Hall of Fame chairman Bill Jacko made the announcement today.

Richardson, who played the game for almost 25 years, including three stints in the NHL, and who returned home and coached the game for 15 years, will be inducted April 16, during the Hall¹s annual induction dinner and awards banquet.

Richardson learned his hockey skills in the local playground and midget systems and played a season with Widdifield in the Nipissing District Association Hockey League before catching on with Peterborough of the
Ontario Hockey League, where he played three seasons until 1971.

The next two campaigns were spent with the Laurentian Vees, playing intercollegiate hockey and earning a degree. In 1973 he was invited to the St. Louis Blues¹ NHL camp, where he was signed to a three-year professional
contract.

He spent seven years playing in the International Hockey League with Columbus, In the Central Hockey League with Denver, Oklahoma City, Kansas City and Salt Lake City, as well as Providence of the American Hockey League. Richardson also had three cracks at the NHL with the Blues, where he picked up 21 points in 49 games.

His key attributes as a hockey player were his work ethic, defensive skills and checking abilities, which made him a superb penalty killer.

In 1980, he retired from professional hockey, returned to North Bay and obtained his Bachelor of Education from Nipissing University. Upon graduation, he taught at Phelps and has been at W.J. Fricker Public School for the past 14 years.

Richardson started his coaching career as an assistant with the Canadore College Panthers of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association in 1981 and the next season held the same position with the Chippewa Raiders of the NDA.
In 1990 he began to coach in the North Bay Minor Hockey Association and after that continued with the West Ferris Minor Hockey Association for 13 years, winning three Northern Ontario Hockey Association championships along the way. He coached players of various of ages from novice to midget.

His three NOHA titles came in consecutive years, Royal Bank Peewee "AA," 1998; Mr. Transmission Bantam "AAA", 1999; and True North Peewee "AA" in 2000.

An avid outdoorsman, Richardson still organizes a school recreational canoe trip to Algonquin Park each summer, something hs has done for the past 15 years.

Submitted to BayToday.ca