St. Paul, MN -- (Sports Network) - Todd Richards was named the second head coach in the history of the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

At a news conference, Richards, a former assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks, was introduced as the replacement for Jacques Lemaire, who had guided Minnesota for the first eight seasons of the team's existence.

"Todd's track record as a player and coach speaks for itself," said Minnesota general manager Chuck Fletcher. "He is a proven winner, and is an ideal fit as the Minnesota Wild's new head coach."

A native of Minnesota and former defenseman for the University of Minnesota's Golden Gophers, Richards favors a more up-tempo game, which is the opposite of Lemaire's low-scoring, defensive-minded style of team play.

Richards, 42, had been head coach for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, and led the team to the Calder Cup Finals. Last season was his only season as an assistant coach for San Jose. In his playing days, Richards won a pair of WCHA crowns with the Gophers, a Calder Cup in 1991 and a Turner Cup with Orlando of the defunct IHL in 2001.

Last season, Minnesota finished with a mark of 40-33-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2003-04 season. While the team had the second- best goals-against average at 2.40, it finished the season 22nd in goals-per- game at 2.61.