‘Brad has a Harbour heart’

Retired NHL star Brad Richards inducted into P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame

MURRAY RIVER, P.E.I. – Brad Richards said his success as an NHL hockey star came because he had one lucky break – having Glen and Delite Richards as his parents.

The two-time Stanley Cup winner was inducted into the P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame Aug. 8 at the Northumberland Arena in Murray River.

“I don’t believe you get lucky over 30 years,” said Richards when he took the stage to accept the honour. “I got lucky once – being born into a family and community that gave me all my values that I still hold and, I think, put me on a path that you can kind of overcome everything. After that, you don’t get lucky, you have that in you and you just keep going.”

In his address, Premier Dennis King recalled an instance where Richards just kept going during a local game now many years ago. King was working for the Eastern Graphic as a reporter at the time and covered many games in which Richards played.

“Certainly, when he was cutting ice as a very young player, he was at the top,” said King, who couldn’t make it to the event but sent a video message.

He said Richards has accomplished pretty much everything a professional hockey player can.

“But the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen him do on the ice happened when he was playing pee-wee hockey,” King began.

“Brad had a broken wrist. The team was down, two men short, five on three, and this young kid with the incredible wheels and the incredible hockey talent grabbed the puck with a broken wrist and killed the two-minute penalty. The other team never touched the puck.”

Richards confirmed it was true.

“My dad, he wasn’t letting me miss the game, so we got an adult glove we put over the cast, taped my hand to the stick and just went and played,” said Richards.

“I think those little things in life, they come back later, and some of the obstacles, they don’t feel as big.”

He immediately added,

“It was a hairline fracture, it wasn’t like it was snapped in half or anything.”

And the effort was for his team. There was a snowstorm and only nine players could make it, so he said he had someone tie his skates and “see what happens.”

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Close to 100 people were there for Richards’ induction, gathered around tables of snacks and trays of lobster sandwiches.

One of those people was Ron Maclean, long-time sports commentator with CBC.

The two met during the 2004-2005 lockout when Maclean came to P.E.I. to interview Richards for Movie Night in Canada.

The interview led to a night on the town for the two new friends.

“I want you to meet someone,” Maclean recalled Richards saying to him near the end of the night.

“He ran me up the stairs and into the Sportsmans (club) to meet Gary Kennedy as a means of teaching me what would become a 20-year tutorial in respect,” Maclean continued.

“He wanted me to know the Kennedy clan. … He really wanted me to know Forbie Kennedy and to really understand the roots of where the dream all started for young Island hockey players. It was an incredible gesture.”

That dream, sparked by the Kennedys, led Richards to 16 NHL seasons as well as the Tofino Olympics and a World Cup series.

Richards was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1998 and went on to win the Stanley Cup with them in 2004.

That season, he also earned the Conn Smythe trophy. He won the cup again in 2015 while playing with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Richards has also played with the New York Rangers, Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings and is a winner of the Lady Byng Trophy.

Richards retired in 2016 with 298 goals and 932 points.

When he won the cup for the first time in 2004, he brought it home to P.E.I. to celebrate with those who mean the most – his family and community.

Rev. Lonnie Atkinson baptized Richards in 1980 and remained friends with the family.

He spoke at the event and emphasized Richards’ commitment to children and families with his philanthropy.

“Brad has a Harbour heart,” he said.