Mike Richards Represented Everything It Meant To Be A Flyers Captain And Today's Chiclets Episode Is A Reminder Of That
If you haven’t listened to today’s episode of Spittin’ Chiclets yet, do yourself a favor and put everything else on hold so you can listen to it right now. Another great episode from the boys and an incredible interview with Mike Richards that only they’d be able to get.
When you think about all-time Philadelphia Flyers captains, obviously Bobby Clarke has the Stanley Cups. As far as overall talent and having moments in his career where he was the best player in the world goes, there is Eric Lindros. But when you talk about everything that the Philadelphia Flyers organization stands for and everything that defines this organization, it’s hard to not put Mike Richards at the top of that list.
Richards had the mentality and tenacity of a 4th line grinder, he had the skill of a 1st round pick, and he had the fucking heart of a warrior. This man would work his ass off every single time he touched the ice in a Flyers sweater. But what makes him really stand out in this city is that he’s the type of guy who was always going to be honest with his teammates, he was always going to be honest with the fans, and he was always going to be honest with himself. And when the guys got into some Dry Island discussion during the interview today, that’s where that really comes into play. Because he was never going to be the type of guy who just put his name up there on the board as guys who bought into the idea of “Dry Island” just to posture and get on Laviolette’s good side. He was a grown man who didn’t need to get babysat by his coach and could make his own decisions. So he wasn’t going to lie to himself or his teammates by signing the board but not following through with it. That level of honesty is something that you’d want to see out of the leader in the locker room. Actions speak louder than words, and all that jazz.
And speaking of actions speaking loudly…
I’m excited for this upcoming Flyers season. I really am. It’s the first season in a while that I can remember being legitimately fired up for. Between having a legitimate franchise goaltender, bringing in a new coaching staff, having a new GM in his first full season, and a team full of guys who are pissed off about being underachievers? I think it’s going to be a very successful year for the Flyers. But this team hasn’t had an identity since Mike Richards left. Or at least not a positive identity. Back when Richards was here, you knew exactly what you were going to get out of this team. They were going to work their asses off, they were going to be physical, they were always going to be an absolute force to play against, and you knew that there wasn’t going to be a single ounce of quit in them. And it’s not that it was just Richards playing that style of hockey but he was leading the way. The team had that identity, and since he’s been gone it just got sucked out of them because you haven’t been able to say that about this team in a while. Maybe this is the year they get it back.