Mike Richards

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Position Centre
Shoots Left
Nickname(s) Cannon, Richie
Height
Weight
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
195 lb (88 kg/13 st 13 lb)
NHL Team Philadelphia Flyers
Nationality Flag of Canada Canada
Born February 11, 1985 (1985-02-11) (age 23),
Kenora, Ontario
NHL Draft 24th overall, 2003
Philadelphia Flyers
Pro career 2005 – present

Michael Richards (born February 11, 1985 in Kenora, Ontario) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is a centre for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Richards began his hockey career with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League, before Philadelphia selected him 24th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He was a member of a dominant 2003 Kitchener team that captured the Memorial Cup and was among the team's leaders in scoring. Before his NHL debut, Richards captained the 2005 Canadian National Junior Team to its first World Junior Championship gold medal since 1997.

Richards joined the Philadelphia Phantoms, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Flyers, for their playoff run, and became a key part of the Phantoms' Calder Cup Championship in the 2004-05 season. Richards averaged over a point a game, lead the league in shorthanded goals scored, and finished second in rookie playoff scoring.

He scored a goal in his first NHL game on October 5, 2005. He scored his first hat trick, which included two shorthanded goals, against the New York Islanders on February 8, 2006. His hat trick was the first by a Flyers rookie since Mikael Renberg on February 15, 1994.

Richards led the Flyers in the 2007-2008 season in points with 75, in only 73 games. He is only the second player in NHL history to have scored two 5 on 3 short-handed goals, also is the second player in NHL history to score his first playoff goal on a penalty shot. In addition to his increased scoring, Richards was named one of the Flyers alternate captains at the outset of the season. [1]

He's known as a remarkable defensive player and he is in the top-3 NHL shorthanded scorers with 5 goals.

On December 13, 2007, Richards and the Flyers agreed on a 12-year contract extension worth $69 million with an average of $5.75 million per year and a maximum salary of $7.6 million for the 2013-2014 season. Mike Richards is said to be the "Typical Flyer", due to his toughness and enthusiasm that resembles a young Bobby Clarke. Richards will be the face of the Flyers franchise for many years to come. [2]

On January 11, 2008, Richards was selected to represent the Eastern Conference at the 2008 NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta. [3] He registered an assist on January 27, 2008 in the 56th annual All-Star Game.

On March 25, 2008, Richards scored the first overtime goal in his career against the New York Rangers.

On April 15, 2008, Richards scored his first playoff goal on a penalty shot against Washington Capitals goaltender Cristobal Huet in game three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2008 NHL Playoffs.

[edit] Awards

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Regular season and playoffs

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2001-02 Kitchener Rangers OHL 65 20 38 58 52 4 0 1 1 6
2002-03 Kitchener Rangers OHL 67 37 50 87 99 21 9 18 27 24
2003-04 Kitchener Rangers OHL 58 36 53 89 82 1 0 0 0 0
2004-05 Kitchener Rangers OHL 43 22 36 58 75 15 11 17 28 36
2004-05 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL -- -- -- -- -- 14 7 8 15 28
2005-06 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 79 11 23 34 65 6 0 1 1 0
2006-07 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 50 10 22 32 52 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 73 28 47 75 76 17 7 7 14 10
NHL Totals 211 49 92 141 193 23 7 8 15 10
AHL Totals -- -- -- -- -- 14 7 8 15 28
OHL Totals 233 115 177 292 308 41 20 36 56 66

[edit] International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
2004 Canada WJC 6 2 3 5 2
2005 Canada WJC 6 1 4 5 2
2006 Canada WC-A 9 3 2 5 10
Senior Int'l Totals 9 3 2 5 10

[edit] Family

Richards currently resides in Haddonfield, New Jersey. His cousin, Jeff Richards, an Ontario Hockey League graduate who plays for the Lakehead University Thunderwolves, recently appeared on Canadian reality show Making the Cut about aspiring Canadian hockey players but failed to make the grade. His parents are Norm and Irene and he has two brothers, Mark and Matt. Mike attended Beaver Brae Secondary School in Kenora until being drafted to the Kitchener Rangers. While at Beaver Brae Secondary School, Mike was awarded Most Improved Player for soccer in his Grade 9 year.

[edit] References

[edit] External links