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The Lightning forward plays three hours from his town.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 19, 2001
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- Lightning center Brad Richards came off the ice after Tuesday morning's skate at the Metro Centre sweating and looking for a shower.
Sorry Brad, some newspaper reporters want to talk to you. Oh, and Brad, can you do a 10-minute radio interview?
And one more thing, can you sit and talk for another 10 minutes with the kid who won the "Meet Brad Richards" contest run by a local sports publication?
If any of this was a burden, including the extra questions a reporter asked Richards after he finally showered, Richards did not let on.
"He was really nice," said Steven Ivey, the 14-year-old contest winner from nearby Dartmouth.
And, in this part of Canada, really popular. It's not just that Richards was one of the NHL's top rookies last season. His personal and emotional ties to this city and its arena run deep.
Richards, 21, was raised in Murray Harbor on Prince Edward Island, about a three-hour drive from Halifax. He played so many times in the Metro Centre, he adopted the city as a home away from home.
That bond became stronger in May 2000 when he led his junior team, Rimouski Oceanic, to a Memorial Cup championship at the Metro Centre. In the process, he persuaded Lightning general manager Rick Dudley to sign him to a three-year, $2.925-million contract.
So you can understand why about 100 family and friends showed up for Tuesday night's game against the Senators, and why about 150 youth hockey players entered the contest to meet Richards.
No wonder he was pumped.
"I've been excited about this game since I saw it on the schedule," Richards said before the game. "I can't wait to get back on the ice tonight."
"It's exciting to watch him, and for a lot more people who have never gotten to see him in a Tampa Bay uniform," said Richards' mother, Delite.
Delite was not sure exactly who was making the trip from Murray Harbor.
"I got calls from people I don't even know who said they were coming," she said.
They saw a more fit player. Richards put on about 15 pounds of muscle over the summer and weighs 194. They saw a player who is determined to avoid the sophomore jinx.
The bar is set high. Richards was second in the voting for rookie of the year after setting Lightning rookie records of 21 goals, 41 assists and 62 points, and there's no doubt that success has made him a marked man.
The opposition will stick close this season, and opportunities to score will be tougher to come by. If Vinny Lecavalier continues his holdout that situation could become acute.
Richards said the consequences of his high profile are overstated.
"I didn't think I was unknown last year," he said. "I didn't just score a goal here and there and nobody paid attention to me."
As for Lecavalier, his best friend, not being in the lineup, he said, "It's just another challenge, and I want to meet that challenge."
So far, so good.
Richards had team highs of five goals and four assists in the first five intrasquad scrimmages. He seems a step faster, his shot a bit harder.
"Brad Richards now is almost an evolution from from where he was two years ago," Dudley said. "He's recognized he's a good player, but he wants to be a great player."
"He moves the puck really good," Ivey said after his meeting with Richards. "And he's got great moves. And he could always score."
Richards said he would not alter his game to get a goal for his admirers.
"But I'd love to get one," he said. "Everybody wants to do that, but I can't worry about it. We're just getting used to playing with each other."
"Whatever happens, happens," said Richards' father Glen, who added of the evening, "It's something special."