His golf game just took a hit.
New Westminster Salmonbellies president and general manager Dan Richardson is going from semi-retired with a bit of time on his hands to a full-time lacrosse general manager, after accepting an offer from Canucks Sports and Entertainment to be the general manager of Vancouver's National Lacrosse League team.
The Canucks organization bought the Vancouver Stealth earlier this week, and announced that the squad will undergo a rebranding, with a new name and logo, and move into Rogers Arena.
Having recently retired from his daytime job, Richardson continued to put a lot of energy into his position with the 'Bellies and a Mann Cup chase. It allowed a bit of time for his other passions -- including lots of golf.
Now, he'll need to book fewer tee-times as he rolls up his sleeves for the big challenge ahead.
"It's a good thing I got a lot of golfing out of the way already," Richardson said with a laugh.
The first step of the rebranding involved hiring a new crew to create a winning culture -- leading to Richardson's hiring, who followed that by making former New West Salmonbellie and Hall-of-Fame player Chris Gill the head coach.
"I've always had a good relationship with Chris, when he was a player and as he moved up the coaching ranks," said Richardson. "We've always stayed in touch. It was important and the (Canucks) agreed that we wanted someone who has NLL coaching experience and knowledge of the league, and Chris brings the whole package."
Gill served as a co-coach with the NLL Colorado Mammoth and an assistant coach with the Maple Ridge Burrards, a main rival of the 'Bellies in the Western Lacrosse Association.
For Richardson, getting the NLL offer proved to be a whirlwind courtship that led to a whole new set of responsibilities, but in a sphere where he's well connected.
"It means a lot to myself and my family, and I owe a lot to my family for being so supportive," he said. "These are exciting times and in the back of my mind I've always thought I'd like to try the NLL side but the opportunity never came around.
"The world can change pretty quickly, because suddenly I got a call (from the Canucks), we met and talked a few times and now we've got a lot of work to do. I'm pretty excited."
Under the Stealth banner and playing in Langley, the club struggled to build a successful model both on and off the floor. Over five seasons after relocating from Everett, the franchise only made the playoffs once -- in 2017 -- and fell short of averaging 4,000 fans a game.
Richardson said with the Canucks organization behind them and the attraction of playing in a world-class city and facility like Rogers Arena, recruiting players will be a major priority.
"(Canucks Sports and Entertainment) is a first-class operation and I'm really impressed with the people I've met. ... What they stand for is hard work, respect, integrity and giving back to the community, and those are principles we've strived for with (the Salmonbellies)."
He says while the Vancouver team will be a major focus for him, New West is still a priority as the club aims for a second straight WLA title.
"Right now nothing changes," Richardson said of a position he's held for 15 years. "If you look around the NLL you see a number of guys who are GMs and also GMs of their summer teams. We've got a real good group of people on the board (in New West) and if there is a change in my work level we can deal with it."
New West's strong start to the season, which has them in first place with a 6-1 record, affords the team an opportunity as they await the possible return of injured players Brett Mydske and Joel McCready, although there is no set time line for either. The recent agreement between the Canadian Lacrosse Association and the players association means Kevin Crowley, a big part of last year's Mann Cup push, will be heading to Israel in a few weeks to represent Canada, alongside former junior 'Bellies players Josh Byrne and Curtis Dickson. The 'Bellies will also lose Jimmy McBride and Daniel McQuade for the two-week tournament, as both were selected to play for Scotland.
Crowley is not expected to be available now to play for New West.
"I'm happy for Kevin because I know playing for his country is something he really wants," said Richardson.
