Entries with the tag: brad+richards

Talking with the Dallas Stars

by Alanah on 05/07/08 at 10:19 PM
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From some short Q&A time with the media on Wednesday, below are transcripts from interviews with these Dallas Stars players and management:

• Marty Turco
• Brad Richards
• Mike Modano
• Brett Hull

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Richards Still Thinks Of Tampa

by Paul on 05/04/08 at 08:03 PM
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from John Romano of the St. Petersburg Times,

His numbers had dipped, and his contract had become a focus. Richards had seemingly gone from essential to cumbersome in a matter of months.

“Based on where the team was going and the budget situation, it was probably the right thing to do,” Richards said. “But that doesn’t make it any easier.

“I had a few uncertain moments about (waiving his no-trade clause). But I just felt it was going to get harder and harder. The way things were being run, it was turning into a dead end for me. I ended up getting pushed out, and a lot of guys had an entire season of their careers ruined.”

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Richards Impressive

by Paul on 04/13/08 at 09:09 AM
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from Jennifer Floyd Engel of the Star-Telegram,

His wicked wrister basically wrapped up a 5-2 victory for the Stars on Saturday and, as a result, they are coming back to Dallas with a chance to get out of the first round for the first time since 2003 without having to leave the state again.

“I think it’s huge,” Richards said. “You want to feel wanted and feel like you are contributing.”

He is. And he has.

Don’t look now, but this Stars team suddenly looks different with Richards. Dare I say dangerous?

This is what happens when all three of your big-name, big-money, big-expectation centers come to play in April. Any coach will tell you that kind of depth is almost impossible to stop.

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Brad Richards Conference Call Transcript

by Alanah on 02/29/08 at 03:35 PM
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It’s been a busy week for Brad Richards.  On Tuesday he was traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Dallas Stars along with Johan Holmqvist for Mike Smith, Jeff Halpern, Jussi Jokinen and a fourth-round pick in 2009.  Last night he played in his first game for the Stars and made it a memorable one by becoming the first player in NHL history to record five assists in his first game with a team as Dallas defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 7 to 4.

Today, Richards participated in an NHL teleconference and below is the transcript of that Q&A with various members of the media.

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Photo Notes From Blogland

by Alanah on 02/29/08 at 11:49 AM
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#1.  From On Frozen Blog:

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Five Helpers For Richards

by Paul on 02/29/08 at 07:53 AM
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from the Dallas Morning News,

As debuts go, Brad Richards’ was, well, perfect.

The Dallas Stars’ blockbuster trade deadline acquisition tied the franchise record – and set a personal best – for assists in a game, recording five to help lead the Stars to a 7-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night at a sold-out American Airlines Center.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have done that,” Richards joked when asked about elevated expectations.

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Looking At The Richards Trade

by Paul on 02/28/08 at 05:06 PM
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from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

The Tampa Bay general manager called Brad Richards on Tuesday morning to tell the former Conn Smythe Trophy winner he had been traded to Dallas. Feaster, Richards and Richards’ agent, Pat Morris, had been talking about the potential move for days, so the news was hardly surprising. Still, Feaster had to hang up the phone.

“I phoned Brad and I couldn’t finish the conversation. I broke down and I couldn’t finish talking to him,” Feaster told ESPN.com a day after he sent Richards to Dallas along with backup netminder Johan Holmqvist for goalie Mike Smith, forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern and a 2009 fourth-round pick.

“It was the weirdest day of my life,” Richards told ESPN.com shortly after his first practice with the Stars.

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A Reported “Will Sign With”

by Paul on 02/26/08 at 06:46 AM
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Alanah posted this at Canucks and Beyond late last night and probably is not the last time we hear a “Will Sign With” today. 

As always, you be the judge…

from RossMcKeon at Yahoo,

The Dallas Stars will acquire Tampa Bay Lightning center Brad Richards in a multi-player trade and Atlanta Thrashers right wing Marian Hossa is heading to the Montreal Canadiens before the NHL trade deadline, an executive within the league said Monday night.

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added 7:22am, from the Star-Telegram,

The Stars continued discussions Monday about acquiring forward Brad Richards from the Tampa Bay Lightning, and NHL sources said Stars backup goaltender Mike Smith was one of the players Dallas was dangling.

“We’ve talked today, but nothing’s happening,” Stars co-general manager Les Jackson said on the eve of today’s 2 p.m. (CT) trade deadline.

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Is Brad Richards Worth it?

by Alanah on 02/25/08 at 05:05 PM
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Updated below with video of Dave Nonis today, discussing the trade deadline situation for Canucks.

Another update below at 6:50pm PT - ESPN has some news...

Another update below at 11:49pm PT - Rumors about a Richards deal with Dallas

At the Canucks Hockey Blog, J.J. is getting heavily emotionally invested in a deal to see Brad Richards in a Canucks Sweater: 

There’s no denying his price tag is a big risk. Heck, at $23.4 million over the next three seasons, it’s a huge risk. However, for the last couple of years, we’ve been talking about the summer of ‘08 because it’s the summer when Naslund’s, Morrison’s, Cooke’s and Linden’s contracts all expire, clearing $11.5 million in cap space and paving the way to sign one, maybe even two or three, very good free agents.

Me? I like Richards, but all I can see are losses. 

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Richards Talk

by Paul on 02/23/08 at 04:57 PM
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Per Pierre McGuire speaking on FSN during the Pens/Sens game, a potential landing place for Brad Richards is Montreal.

Richards Would Look Good In Columbus

by Paul on 02/23/08 at 08:35 AM
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from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,

Rumor is, Tampa Bay Lightning center Brad Richards is available and the Blue Jackets are making a pitch. This is juicy.

The rumor first floated on TSN, the Canadian sports-television network, on Wednesday. TSN suggested that the Jackets were “front-runners” in the bidding. Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline confirmed as much, and reported that the Jackets had two scouts, including Don Boyd, director of player personnel, scouting the Lightning-Islanders game Thursday night in Uniondale, N.Y.

Oh, man, if the Jackets can get their hands on this guy . . . he’s perfect for them.

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Richards Talk From The Columbus Side

by Paul on 02/21/08 at 05:08 PM
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from Puck-rakers,

Richards’ availability via trade was first reported by TSN, a Canadian cable channel. TSN also hinted that the Blue Jackets were in the running. I didn’t want to report it until somebody I respected confirmed it to me, and that took place this afternoon.

First, Richards would have to waive his no trade clause. Not sure he’d do that to come to the Blue Jackets, but this franchise has always been very welcoming and attractive to Prince Edward Island guys.

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The Tampa Situation

by Alanah on 02/20/08 at 08:59 PM
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From Bob McKenzie at TSN,

The word on the street from rival general managers around the league is that Lightning GM Jay Feaster is in a situation where he’s being told by potential team owner Oren Koules to find out what he could get for veteran forward Brad Richards.  [...]

First, the team wants to have centre Vincent Lecavalier signed to a long-term contract this summer. They want him locked up and made him a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning for life.  Secondly, you know that winger Martin St. Louis is also in for the long haul because his contract gets more affordable with each passing year.

Feaster also wants to sign defenceman Dan Boyle to a long-term contract, but the team also wants to get a No. 1 goaltender somewhere down the line. It’s going to be expensive to do all of that.

more... with ideas about potential destinations for Richards. (*apparently $7.8 million salary isn’t as limiting as I would’ve thought...)

To Sign Boyle, Trade Richards

by Paul on 02/19/08 at 05:45 PM
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from Lightning Strikes,

Feaster isn’t trading Vinny Lecavalier. He probably wants to keep Boyle. To do that, he has to cut salary somewhere. Richards has underperformed, Forsberg seems out of the equation, so it seems logical Feaster wants to see what Richards’ market is like before deciding if he can sign Boyle, because if Tampa Bay can be out from under Richards’ salary, that makes Boyle’s contract doable.

As we have said, there are a lot of moving parts here, including how the Lightning does Wednesday and Thursday in what will be a difficult back-to-back against the Sabres and Islanders.

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Richards Name Being Mentioned In Trade Talks

by Paul on 02/18/08 at 03:10 PM
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from David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail,

A new name surfaced among the NHL players available before the trading deadline next week — Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brad Richards.

According to a league source, Lightning general manager Jay Feaster was the busiest among his fellow GMs after they arrived here for their annual winter meetings on Sunday night. Feaster was known to be shopping a list of players but until Sunday night when he started shopping him around, Richards was not known to be on it.

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Richards A Game Time Decision

by Paul on 12/11/07 at 02:25 PM
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from Lightning Strikes,

...coach John Tortorella, who seemed confident center Brad Richards will play tonight against the Canadiens, but said the final decision would be made at game time.

Even if Richards doesn’t play, it does not sound as if the injury to his left knee is as severe as it seemed it might be Monday night, when he left the game midway through the second period after slamming into the end boards with Toronto defenseman Tomas Kaberle on his back.

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No Word On Richards’ Injury

by Paul on 12/11/07 at 06:34 AM
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from Lightning Strikes,

Brad Richards, limping noticeably as he left the locker room Monday night, declined comment about his injured left knee, and coach John Tortorella said he had “no idea’’ about his star center’s status. Richards, though, did travel with the team to Montreal, where the Lightning plays on Tuesday.

That the Lightning lost 6-1 to the Maple Leafs in what Tortorella called “just an old-fashioned (expletive) kicking’’ was bad enough, but consider the possibilities if Richards is out

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Brad Richards Off to Career Best Start

by Alanah on 11/19/07 at 03:50 PM
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From Erik Erlendsson at The Tampa Tribune,

Richards is off to his best start through 19 games and is on pace for a career high in goals and right on pace to match his career best in points. And while the point production is a big part of Richards’ game, it’s not the sole indicator of how he’s playing.

In watching Richards on the ice this season, he looks quicker, he looks stronger, he appears to have more confidence and seems more intense, noticeable in his fight Wednesday against Carolina’s Justin Williams that left him with a cut on his lip.

“I feel a lot better, I do,” Richards said. “Sometimes you can’t control the points and it would be nice to bury a few more chances, but overall I feel way better, way stronger so I feel a lot more confident going into this part of the season. Whether or not my start - and I think it’s been a good start and that’s obviously going to help - but I feel different and I feel a lot better than I did last year.”

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*Also recently online at The Tampa Tribune, teammate Vinny Lecavalier’s exotic summer vacations, with a few photos