Former Dallas Stars Center Brad Richards' SCF Return

Yesterday we took a trip down former Dallas Stars Captain Brenden Morrow’s road to the Stanley Cup Final and today the spotlight is on former Dallas Stars Center Brad Richards.

1998-2004: NHL Draft, Debut, and Stanley Cup Win

The Tampa Bay Lightning selected him 64^th overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He made his debut in the NHL on October 6^th, 2000 and was even chosen as the rookie of the month that October as well.

From there Richards spent four seasons playing in every game for the Lightning as they made it to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals versus the Calgary Flames. It was the first trip to the finals in Tampa Bay Lightning history and it went the full seven games. Ultimately the Lightning beat the Flames 2-1 in regulation to clinch the cup and Richards was named Playoff MVP, thus earning him the Conn Smythe Trophy.

2004-2008: Post-Cup Seasons, Trade to Dallas, and Conference Finals

That Tampa Bay team was the reigning Stanley Cup Champions for an extended period of time due to the lockout of ’04-’05 that cost the NHL a full season’s worth of games. During it Richards played for Ak Bars Kazan of the RSL; however, he only played a total of six games for them.

After the NHL resumed normal playing schedules under a new CBA agreement Richards and the Lightning found limited success.

Then on February 28^th, 2008 the Dallas Stars acquired Richards a mere three hours before the trade deadline, officially separating his bond with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dallas got goalie Johan Holmqvist in addition to Richards, while Tampa Bay ended up with goalie Mike Smith, forwards Jeff Halpern and Jussi Jokinen, and a 2009 fourth round draft pick.

It took Richards no time to become accustomed to the Dallas Stars style of play as he scored four points in one period against the Sharks in the playoffs to tie an NHL record. The eventual champion Detroit Red Wings later eliminated Dallas from the playoffs in the Western Conference Finals.

2008-2011: Dallas Stars, Rebuilding, and the New York Rangers

After their elimination from the 2008 playoffs Richards suffered a broken wrist in 2009, only to return to play and break his other hand thus causing him to miss the remainder of the season. Dallas failed to make the playoffs that year as well as in 2010 and 2011. Richards was in the middle of a rebuild, just like he’d been in Tampa Bay.

Although the Stars weren’t a particularly successful team during this time Richards had a career season with them in 2009-2010 scoring 91 points in 80 games alongside Loui Eriksson and James Neal. His contract, however, ended at the completion of the 2011 season and he chose to test free agency.

July 2^nd, 2011 officially made Brad Richards a part of his third NHL franchise: the New York Rangers. As one of if not the biggest name free agent of the off-season he had his fair share of options as far as which team to go to, but the Rangers’ Head Coach John Tortorella had been the coach of the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning, which some argue sealed the deal.

2011-Present: Buy Out, Free Agency Again, and Chicago Blackhawks

The $60 million, nine-year contract Richards signed in 2011 warranted high expectations; however, the Rangers felt as if they hadn’t been met and they needed to make room for cap space, so they chose to use a compliance buyout on Richards in June of 2014. Once again Richards found himself an unrestricted free agent, except this time he wasn’t the big name player he was back in 2011.

That brings us to today. Richards is currently a center for the Chicago Blackhawks after he signed a one-year $2 contract with them last July.

Tonight he and the Hawks will take on Brenden Morrow and the Lightning to kick off the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals on NBC and CBC at 7PM CT. Read more about Morrow’s fifteen year journey to return to the Stanley Cup Finals here.

Who do you predict will be the 2015 Stanley Cup Champions? Leave your guesses in the comments and thanks for reading!

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