|
Richards retires after playing final season with Wings |
|
|
|
|
|
The last act of Brad Richards as an NHLer will go down in the annals of hockey history as a Detroit Red Wing.
Richards officially announced his retirement Wednesday via the NHLPA after 15 NHL seasons and 1,1126 games, the final 68 of which were played last season as a Red Wing.
“I want to thank the fans and the five organizations I have played for: Tampa Bay, Dallas, and the three original six teams — the New York Rangers, Chicago, and Detroit,” Richards said via prepared statement. “During my time with those teams I met many great people. I also want to thank the staff and management in those organizations for all the help and support they gave me. I appreciate all the trainers who did tireless work to help me play and keep me healthy.
“I had many amazing teammates and made many great friendships along the way that I truly appreciate, and I will never forget the great times we had together. Thank you to all my coaches for pushing, teaching and giving me the opportunity to play this great game.
“Winning the Stanley Cups in Tampa Bay and Chicago was the best part of my career and I will never forget those moments. Nothing compares to enjoying that night with your team and knowing what you have accomplished together.”
Richards was both a Stanley Cup and Memorial Cup MVP during his career and after going to the Stanley Cup final with the Rangers in 2013-14 and winning the Cup with the Blackhawks in 2014-15, the Wings signed Richards as a free agent, feeling he could provide a veteran spark to help some of their younger players transition into NHL regulars.
Instead, Richards turned out more like Stephen Weiss 2.0, the free agent center the Wings signed as a free agent in 2013, and whose contract was bought out, in essence making room for Richards on the roster.
Similar to Weiss, Richards struggled on the ice to start his Detroit days and then dealt with injury, and once he regained his health, the Wings found it difficult to find a fit for him in their lineup, sometimes dropping him to fourth-line duty.
The numbers Weiss posted in 2014-15, his last season as a Wings – 9-16-25 in 52 games – were quite similar to the 10-18-28 totals Richards posted in his lone season with the team.
“As far as playing for the Wings and wearing the jersey, all that stuff's been an honor,” Richards said at the end of the season. “But obviously the season didn't go the way I wanted it to or the team wanted it to.”
After watching good friends Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier hang up their skates over the past two seasons, Richards had hinted that retirement was at the forefront of his mind when the Wings cleaned out their lockers after losing to Tampa Bay in the opening round of the playoffs.
“It's a young man's game now and it's hard to start a family and all that stuff and put in the time and effort it takes to stay in shape against some of these young guys,” Richards admitted at the time. “You do have to make sure you're 100 percent all in mentally.”
Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»