Richard Chernomaz (born September 1, 1963) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

ice hockey coach and executive as well as former

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

right winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. He was most recently the head coach of the VIU Mariners Hockey team in the BCIHL. He played 51

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) games for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

and

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

. Chernomaz' career was spent primarily in the minor leagues where he was a two-time International Hockey League (IHL) all-star, and in 1993–94, won the

Les Cunningham Award The Les Cunningham Award is given annually to American Hockey League's "Most Valuable Player" of the regular season, as voted on by AHL media and players. The award was first presented in the 1947–48 season, is named after Les Cunningham, a five ...

as the most valuable player of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL). Chernomaz participated in the 1995 World Championship in Austria where he was a member of

Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to: Canada at multi-sport events * Canada at the Olympics ** Canadian Olympic Committee * Canada at the Paralympics ** Canadian Paralympic Committee * Canada at the Commonwealth Games * Canada at ...

's bronze medal-winning squad. Chernomaz remained in Europe following the tournament and played his final four seasons with the

SERC Wild Wings The Schwenninger Wild Wings are a professional German ice hockey team from Villingen-Schwenningen in Baden-Wuerttemberg that was founded on 20 July 1904 and currently plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). The greatest success of the associa ...

of the

Deutsche Eishockey Liga The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called Penny (supermarket), PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga) (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a professional ice hockey league in Germany and the highest division in German i ...

(DEL). He moved to coaching in 1999, spending time with several DEL teams and winning two German championships. He coached the Hungarian national team at the 2013 World Championship.

Personal life

Chernomaz was born in

Selkirk, Manitoba Selkirk is a city in the western Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba, located on the Red River of the North, Red River about northeast of Winnipeg, the provincial capital. It has a population of 10,504 as of the 20 ...

and raised in

Port Alberni Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. Port Alberni currently has a total popu ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. He is the uncle of

Nolan Patrick Nolan James Patrick (born September 19, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is an unrestricted free agent. He was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2017 NHL entry draft and played four seasons with the F ...

who was drafted second overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Chernomaz played four seasons of

junior hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from t ...

in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

(WHL) for the

Saskatoon Blades The Saskatoon Blades are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1964, the Blades were a charter team of the then-Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1966, and are the only club that has played ev ...

and

Victoria Cougars The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1911 to 1924 under various names, and (after the PCHA's merger with the Western Canada Hockey League) in the W ...

between 1979 and 1983. He scored 113 points in 1980–81 for the Cougars in the regular season. Chernomaz added 26 more in 15 playoff games, the fifth best total in the WHL, as Victoria defeated the

Calgary Wranglers The Calgary Wranglers are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. They are members of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home of their Na ...

in the league championship final to win the

President's Cup The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world except Europe as that continent competes against the United States in a similar but ...

. The

selected him with their second round selection, 26th overall, at the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, and he made his NHL debut in 1981–82, appearing in two games during a brief recall from Victoria. His NHL debut came on November 11, 1981, against the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

. Chernomaz' best WHL season came in 1982–83 when he recorded 124 points in 64 games and was named a league all-star. The Rockies relocated east to become the

in 1982, and Chernomaz transferred with the team. He appeared in seven games with the Devils in 1983–84 and scored his first two NHL goals. He spent most of the season with the Devils

(AHL) affiliate, the Maine Mariners, where he recorded 46 points in 69 games. He appeared in only two playoff games for the Mariners, but was a member of the team as they won the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

. Chernomaz spent the majority of the following three seasons in the AHL, but he did appear in 25 NHL games with the Devils in 1986–87 and scored six goals to go with four assists. Allowed to go to

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

, Chernomaz was signed by the

in 1987. He was a member of the Flames organization for seven seasons, but made only sporadic appearances with Calgary and appeared in 11 games over that span, the last of which came in the

1991–92 NHL season The 1991–92 NHL season was the 75th regular season of the National Hockey League. The league expanded to 22 teams with the addition of the expansion San Jose Sharks. A ten-day players' strike was called in April, delaying the final weeks of t ...

. He played with Calgary's International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate, the

Salt Lake Golden Eagles The Salt Lake Golden Eagles were a minor professional hockey team based in Salt Lake City from 1969 to 1994. History They played in the Western Hockey League from 1969 to 1974, the Central Hockey League from 1974 to 1984 and the International H ...

, where he was a member of the team's

Turner Cup The Turner Cup was the championship trophy of the International Hockey League from 1945 to 2001 and the renamed United Hockey League from 2007 to 2010. The Cup was named for Joe Turner, a goaltender from Windsor, Ontario. Turner became professi ...

championship squad in 1987–88, and was named to the second all-star team in both 1987–88 and 1990–91. Chernomaz joined the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

organization in 1992 where he played two AHL seasons with the

St. John's Maple Leafs The St. John's Maple Leafs were a minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, at Memorial Stadium from 1991 to 2001, and at Mile One Stadium from 2001 to 2005. The team was ...

. In his first, 1993–94, he scored 45 goals and 110 points that season, was named to the AHL First All-Star Team and won the

as the league's most valuable player. He served as a playing assistant coach in 1994–95. At the same time, he played two seasons in

Roller Hockey International Roller Hockey International was a professional inline hockey league that operated in North America from 1993 to 1999. It was the first major professional league for inline hockey. History League president Dennis Murphy had been involved in ...

, recording 33 points in 13 games for the

Utah Rollerbees Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northeast, Idaho to the ...

in 1993 and 54 points in 17 games with the

Las Vegas Flash The Las Vegas Flash were an inline hockey team which existed for one season in 1994. The Flash were a part of Roller Hockey International. The team's home games were played at the Thomas & Mack Center. The franchise was previously known as: *Utah ...

in 1994. Chernomaz made his lone international appearance at the 1995 World Championship in Austria. He recorded three assists in eight games for

, which won the bronze medal. Choosing to remain in Europe, he signed with the

of the

(DEL). Chernomaz played his final four seasons with the Wild Wings before retiring in 1999.

Coaching and managing career

Schwenningen hired Chernomaz as the team's coach following his playing career. He spent two seasons behind the Wild Wings' bench before moving on to coach several other DEL teams:

Kölner Haie The Kölner Haie (English: ''Cologne Sharks'') are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany, that plays in the professional Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). The team was one of the founding members of the DEL. The ''Kölner Haie'' play their ho ...

, with whom he won the German championship in 2001–02,

Augsburger Panther The Augsburger Panther are a professional ice hockey team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, DEL. The team is based in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. They play their home games at the Curt Frenzel Stadion. Founded in 1878, the team's name was Augsburge ...

, the

Frankfurt Lions The Frankfurt Lions were a German professional men's ice hockey club from Frankfurt, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club ceased operations in 2010 due to financial difficulty. History * The hockey team was founded as a ...

where a second German title followed in 2003–04 and then

ERC Ingolstadt ERC Ingolstadt (''Eishockey-und-Rollschuh club'', ) is a German professional ice hockey club that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Commonly known as the Panthers, the team plays its home games at the Saturn Arena in Ingolstadt. Histor ...

, whom he coached until December 2012. He was hired to coach the Hungarian national team in 2013, and led the team to a bronze medal at the

2013 IIHF World Championship Division I The 2013 IIHF World Championship Division I was a pair of international Ice hockey tournaments run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Group A contested in Budapest, Hungary and Group B contested in Donetsk, Ukraine, both running from 14 ...

and then to silver medal at the 2015 IIHF World Championship Division I, thus winning promotion to the

2016 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2016 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 80th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams participated at several levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for division placements in ...

. Whilst working for the Hungarian federation, Chernomaz also accepted the position as sporting director at Löwen Frankfurt in 2013. In December 2015, he also took over head coaching duties in Frankfurt after the sacking of

Tim Kehler Tim Kehler (born July 5, 1971) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach. He most recently served as head coach of the Ravensburg Towerstars in Germany. Career Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Kehler began his career behind the bench in 20 ...

. In the 2016-17 season, he handed coaching duties to Paul Gardner and remained in his job as sporting director. In 2017, the Frankfurt team won the

DEL2 DEL2 (also known as Deutsche Eishockey Liga 2 or DEL II) is the second tier ice hockey league in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Se ...

title. On December 21, 2017, the Löwen Frankfurt organization announced not to extend Chernomaz' contract which expired in April 2018 and to relieve him of his duties with immediate effect to hand over the job to Franz-David Fritzmeier. At that moment, the Löwen team was sitting in second place in the DEL2 standings. In April 2018, Chernomaz was announced as the head coach of the Nottingham Panthers, replacing the outgoing Corey Neilson. Chernomaz was sacked by the Panthers on 16 January 2019. The Nottingham team was third in the Elite League at the time, but had lost four games in a row. On 5 February 2019, he took over the head coaching position with the

Ravensburg Towerstars The Ravensburg Towerstars are a professional ice hockey team based in Ravensburg, Germany, and one of the oldest clubs in the country. They currently play in DEL2, the second level of ice hockey in Germany. Prior to the 2013–14 season they play ...

of the German DEL2 league. Chernomaz guided the Towerstars to their second-ever DEL2 championship title, overcoming his former team Frankfurt in the finals in April 2019. He departed Ravensburg in February 2021. Chernomaz is a part owner of the

Alberni Valley Bulldogs The Alberni Valley Bulldogs are a junior ice hockey team based in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Island Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Weyerhaeuser Arena. ...

, a junior team in the

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...

that he bought a share of in 2003.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chernomaz, Rich 1963 births Living people SC Bern players Calgary Flames players Colorado Rockies (NHL) draft picks Colorado Rockies (NHL) players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Frankfurt Lions coaches Löwen Frankfurt coaches Ice hockey people from British Columbia Ice hockey people from Manitoba Las Vegas Flash players Maine Mariners (AHL) players New Jersey Devils players People from Port Alberni St. John's Maple Leafs players Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) players Saskatoon Blades players Schwenninger Wild Wings players Sportspeople from Selkirk, Manitoba HC Thurgau players Utah Rollerbees players Victoria Cougars (WHL) players Canadian ice hockey right wingers Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian inline hockey players Expatriate ice hockey players in Germany