Rich Chernomaz
Canadian forward turned two-time German champion coach.
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Richard Chernomaz is a Canadian ice hockey coach, executive, and former right winger. He played 51 NHL games for the Colorado Rockies, New Jersey Devils, and Calgary Flames, but spent most of his playing career in the minor leagues, where he was a two-time IHL all-star and won the AHL's Les Cunningham Award as MVP in 1993–94. He later became a successful coach in Germany, winning two DEL championships, and coached the Hungarian national team at the 2013 World Championship.
Lore & Background
Chernomaz played four seasons of junior hockey in the WHL for the Saskatoon Blades and Victoria Cougars, scoring 124 points in 64 games in 1982–83 and earning league all-star honors. He helped Victoria win the President's Cup in 1980–81. Drafted 26th overall by the Colorado Rockies in 1981, he made his NHL debut on November 11, 1981, against the Montreal Canadiens.
When the Rockies relocated to become the New Jersey Devils, Chernomaz transferred with the team and scored his first two NHL goals in 1983–84. He spent most of his career in the AHL and IHL, winning a Calder Cup with the Maine Mariners in 1983–84 and a Turner Cup with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in 1987–88. After joining the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, he had a standout 1993–94 season with the St. John's Maple Leafs, recording 45 goals and 110 points to win the Les Cunningham Award.
He also played two seasons in Roller Hockey International. Chernomaz made his lone international appearance at the 1995 World Championship, recording three assists in eight games as Canada won bronze. He then played his final four seasons with the SERC Wild Wings of the DEL before retiring in 1999.
Reader's Guide
Chernomaz's significance lies in his dual career as a productive minor-league scorer and a championship-winning coach. Though his NHL tenure was brief—51 games across three teams—he excelled in the AHL and IHL, earning all-star selections and the AHL's MVP award. His coaching career in Germany brought two DEL titles, with Kölner Haie in 2001–02 and the Frankfurt Lions in 2003–04, and he later guided the Ravensburg Towerstars to a DEL2 championship in 2019.
He also coached the Hungarian national team, leading them to bronze and silver medals in Division I and promotion to the top division. Chernomaz's longevity in the game, from player to coach to executive, and his success at multiple levels, mark him as a notable figure in hockey. He is also a part owner of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BCHL and the uncle of Nolan Patrick, the second overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1979–80 | Saskatoon Olympics | SJHL | 51 | 33 | 37 | 70 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1979–80 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 25 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1980–81 | Victoria Cougars | WHL | 72 | 49 | 64 | 113 | 92 | 15 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 38 |
| 1980–81 | Victoria Cougars | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 1981–82 | Victoria Cougars | WHL | 49 | 36 | 62 | 98 | 69 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| 1981–82 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | Victoria Cougars | WHL | 64 | 71 | 53 | 124 | 113 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 18 |
| 1983–84 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1983–84 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 69 | 17 | 29 | 46 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984–85 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1984–85 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 64 | 17 | 34 | 51 | 64 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 1985–86 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 78 | 21 | 28 | 49 | 82 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1986–87 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 25 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1986–87 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 58 | 35 | 27 | 62 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 73 | 48 | 47 | 95 | 122 | 18 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 30 |
| 1988–89 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1988–89 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 81 | 33 | 68 | 101 | 122 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 47 |
| 1989–90 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 65 | 39 | 35 | 74 | 170 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 32 |
| 1990–91 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 81 | 39 | 58 | 97 | 213 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| 1991–92 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1991–92 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 66 | 20 | 50 | 60 | 201 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 1992–93 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 76 | 26 | 48 | 74 | 172 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993–94 | St. John's Maple Leafs | AHL | 78 | 45 | 65 | 110 | 199 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 18 |
| 1994–95 | St. John's Maple Leafs | AHL | 77 | 24 | 45 | 69 | 235 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 1995–96 | SERC Wild Wings | DEL | 49 | 24 | 43 | 67 | 105 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 24 |
| 1996–97 | SERC Wild Wings | DEL | 47 | 25 | 39 | 64 | 126 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
| 1997–98 | SERC Wild Wings | DEL | 45 | 13 | 32 | 45 | 103 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 53 |
| 1998–99 | SERC Wild Wings | DEL | 43 | 9 | 38 | 47 | 177 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | SC Bern | NLA | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| NHL totals | 51 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 424 | 159 | 228 | 387 | 684 | 33 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 32 | ||
| IHL totals | 443 | 205 | 296 | 501 | 986 | 52 | 21 | 28 | 49 | 127 | ||
International
Awards and honours
Career
| Award | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| WHL First All-Star Team | 1982–83 | |
| IHL Second All-Star Team | 1987–88 / 1990–91 | |
| AHL First All-Star Team | 1993–94 | |
| Les Cunningham Award / AHL Most Valuable Player | 1993–94 |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Rich Chernomaz (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Rich Chernomaz (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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