The Lightning center says he wants to relax despite his lack of goals this season. And yet ...
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published December 9, 2003
UNIONDALE, N.Y. - He is thinking about it way too much. Brad Richards knows this. But how can it be any other way?
The Lightning center has three goals in 24 games, none in nine and one in his past 18. He is on pace to score 10.
For a player who scored 21, 20 and 17 goals in his first three seasons, that is not just hitting a wall. That is running into it facefirst.
"That's the worst thing with me. I let things get in my head too much," Richards said Monday. "I think about it at night. I think about it in the morning. I think about it at different times. Then all of a sudden, that's the only thing you're thinking about."
And then you grip your stick too tightly and stop playing on instinct.
"I've got to relax," Richard said.
Can you relax and get busy at the same time? Richards, 23, who signed a three-year, $9.25-million contract last summer, must find a way.
The Prince Edward Island native has 13:27 and 15:32 of ice time in his past two games, well below his season average of 20:01. And had it not been for the concussion sustained by defenseman Dan Boyle, Richards probably would be getting even less time on the power play. Richards went through a similar slump last season during which it took him 27 games to score four goals. But the Lightning's recent 0-4-2 slump, put to rest by consecutive victories against the Sabres and Rangers, made this drought seem worse.
Richards' 4.2 shooting percentage on a team-high 72 shots and his seven assists in his past 18 games haven't made things seem much better.
Coach John Tortorella has tried Richards with different linemates to give him a boost. He played with Ruslan Fedotenko and Martin Cibak on Sunday against New York.
But when it comes down to it, Tortorella said, "Players have to help themselves."
That means not just hoping the puck comes your way, but finding ways to go get it. That means not just playing in the peripheries of the game, but those hostile areas around the net where pucks, rebounds and goals lurk.
"From a coach's point of view, when some of your top players are struggling, that is what you'd like to see, a change in mind-set," Tortorella said. "Not hoping things go your way, but forcing them to go your way. You need to push at a whole different level to change things."
Tortorella knows his young star is fretting.
"Any athlete that feels he isn't pulling his weight and is very conscious of the team ends up putting added pressure on himself," the coach said. "I think that's something that's going on with Brad right now. He cares."
"I don't know if it's pressure," Richards said. "I think I just think too much sometimes away from the game. Maybe I have to relax more, not squeeze my stick as tight. I don't know."
What he does know is, "It's bothering me a lot, not just a little bit. The only thing I can do is put it on my shoulders to get out of it."
Maybe tonight against the Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum.
"I know I'm capable of doing it," Richards said. "I'm not worried about that. I just can't let it snowball too long. Then it ruins a lot more than just a couple of weeks of bad hockey."
