Kings get a new coach in Darryl Sutter

Newly appointed Kings Coach Darryl Sutter is said to be a man of few words.

How about … no words?

Joking aside, that’s the way it has been, at least publicly, for almost a year after Sutter stepped down as the Calgary Flames general manager three days after Christmas in 2010.

The end of the silent days, and nights, comes a few days before this Christmas. Sutter, who is replacing the recently fired Terry Murray, will conduct his first practice as the Kings’ head coach Wednesday morning, followed by a news conference in the afternoon in El Segundo.

On Tuesday, the Kings made the expected hiring official, having signed him to a multiyear contract. His first game behind the Kings bench will be Thursday at Staples Center against the Ducks.

Sutter, 53, has coached three NHL teams — the San Jose Sharks, the Calgary Flames and the Chicago Blackhawks — and was general manager of Calgary until last Dec. 28. The Kings play at San Jose on Friday and at Calgary on Jan. 14.

His entire NHL playing career, 406 regular-season games, was spent in Chicago. In fact, he was a teammate of both Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau and Ducks General Manager Bob Murray. Murray not only played with Sutter when they were in Chicago but also for Sutter in Saginaw (Mich.) of the International Hockey League in 1988-89.

“I remember when he just retired [from playing] and was coaching for us in Saginaw. I got sent to the minors as a 34-year-old, 35-year-old,” Murray said in an interview with The Times. “He just looked at me and said, ‘I just want to win.’ It was great for me at that point in time in my career. ‘I’m going to play you. Just want to win. Go.’ ”

Murray smiled and shrugged, and said, “OK.”

He thought the sabbatical from the game wasn’t the worst thing in the world for Sutter.

“Sometimes it’s not bad for all of us who have been in this game so long to take a step back, get refreshed,” Murray said. “Take a fresh look at things.

“I just think he’s a great coach. It’s a good mix there. He’s driven, and he’ll drive the players. He’s got compassion.”

Richards close

King center Mike Richards continues to progress, skating with his teammates for three days in a row on the just-completed trip. Richards, who has been out because of a head injury since Dec. 1, has not yet been cleared to play, although he is scheduled to be evaluated in Los Angeles this week.

“I’m hoping any time now, I guess,” Richards said Monday in Toronto. “It’s just a matter more or less of getting myself back in shape and feeling comfortable on the ice. Obviously, I don’t want to come back too soon.”

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

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Times staff writer Helene Elliott contributed to this report.