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Regardless of the Calder Trophy outcome, the Lightning rookie center is cashing in on some major incentives.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 14, 2001
Whatever happens tonight in Toronto at the NHL's annual awards ceremony, Brad Richards already is $450,000 richer.
The 21-year-old Lightning center will get a $300,000 bonus from the team for being one of three finalists for the Calder Trophy, given to the rookie of the year. He will get another $150,000 when named to the all-rookie team.
If Richards finishes second in the Calder voting (as expected), he will get another $100,000; if he wins, he gets $200,000.
That would bring his total bonus money for the season to either $1.15-million or $1.25-million. And that doesn't include the $10,000 for the Calder Trophy winner, $6,000 for second and $4,000 for third.
His base salary is $975,000.
But Richards, who will attend with mother Delite, sister Paige and cousin Aaron McKenzie, said money is secondary.
"I'm just going to enjoy one of the most exciting evenings of my life in the company of great players," Richards said from his family's home in the fishing town of Murray Harbor on Prince Edward Island.
Richards' competition is Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov and Senators wing Martin Havlat. Nabokov, who was 32-21-7 with a 2.19 goals-against average, six shutouts and a .915 save percentage, is the favorite.
Richards' 62 points were 18 more than any rookie. He also was the rookie leader in goals (21), assists (41), power-play assists (19) and power-play points (26), and he tied the Wild's Marian Gaborik for the lead with 179 shots.
The Lightning did its best to sway media voters by sending out information packages with pictures and statistics.
His agent, Pat Morris, said he made calls to remind voters that Nabokov, at 25, already had played three pro seasons in the minors and played 11 games with the Sharks in 1999-2000.
Richards came to the NHL from juniors.
"I think it's going to be a lot closer than people think," Morris said of the voting.
Richards is in an exclusive group. The only Lightning player to win a post-season award is John Cullen, who won the 1998-99 Masterton for perseverance and dedication to hockey. Goaltender Daren Puppa was a finalist for the 1995-96 Vezina Trophy.
"It's going to be cool to sit there and see what happens," said Richards, whose father Glen can't attend because he will be manning the family's lobster boat. "It would be icing on the cake for rookie of the year. It would be great to do it, but, if not, life goes on."