The list of NHL players who can do it all is very short and Mike Richards is at the top. Last night was my first game back in a TV analyst seat in over 3 years and I got to see Richard's array of hockey assets first hand.
My buddy, Keith Jones will miss 9 Flyers TV games this season to be at Versus and I get to sit in his chair and work with Jim Jackson and Steve Coates, as well as producer Brian Cooper, an old friend and an elite producer. What a blast I had just doing the game and watching Mike Richards made it special. I believe he is the most complete player in the game right now and that he offers the Flyers a menu of contributions unmatched in the NHL. Please correct me if I am wrong here. I pride myself on being objective and I have looked through every teams' roster. I don't see anyone that can do all the things Richards can. Here is a short list of what he does for the orange and black.
Shuts down opponents 5 on 5. As a good a defensive center as there is in the league
Scores Check out the stats
Sets up goals Excellent passer
Wins faceoffs Any zone at any time of the game
Kills Penalties Not only kills, but scores while he's at it
Plays point on PP He can QB a PP from down low, but also plays the point.
Hits This is where he starts moving into a class of his own
Fights He drops the gloves when he has to
There are no blanks to fill in on his resume. If there is a more complete forward in the NHL, please tell me. I don't want to miss him.
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