Who is Brad Richards?

I thought I would dedicated my first "real" blog entry about the career of the unsung hero, Brad Richards. The 30 year old forward of the Pittsburgh Penguins had made an incredible news headline by scoring 5 points in back to back games, a feat that up till now has never been accomplished.

Little is really known about the silent playmaker from Murray Harbour, PEI. He has always been a consistent point producer at the FNHL level but he has never been a threat to win the scoring championship. Since joining the league back in 2003 he has amassed a respectable 366 points in 581 games. Not exactly hall of fame numbers just yet but if recent games are any indication as to the true talent this veteran has, he may just turn some heads.

Richards initially finished his first season off with the Phoenix Coyotes where had enjoyed decent success by scoring 22 goals and pitching in 42 helpers for a total of 64 points. Unfortunately he fell out of favor with the teams management and was subsequently dealt to the Dallas Stars in 2004. That season he was underused as he was the third line center and his production fell sharply by managing only 9 goals and 17 assists. This lack of use for the up and coming center lead to him asking for a trade. The Stars granted him his wish and dealt him to the Calgary Flames in 2005.

With the Flames Richards enjoyed a renaissance to his career . He pitched in 16 goals and added 27 assists for a total of 43 points. This production wasn't enough for the Flames as they missed the playoffs that season which lead to another trade of the then 25 year old this time to the re-building Anaheim Ducks. Just when he was beginning to wonder if he would spend his career living out of a suitcase he found a home in Anaheim. In Anaheim he started off as the team's number 2 center and worked his way up to it's franchise player by leading the team in scoring two consecutive seasons in 2006 and 2007. Unfortunately for Richards he would be dealt once again. This time to the eastern conference for the first time in his career.

He would be dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team on the rise with alot of promise and more playmakers and goal scorers for him to play with. This infusion of talent around the veteran boosted his personal best season of 23 goals and 48 assists for a total of 71 points. Richards is now showing the offensive prowess that many pegged him to have early on in his career. With the Penguins he is surrounded by the right combination that will only continue to make him flourish. With 10 points in his first 2 games this season he is off to an amazing start to only boost his career totals even further. Will he finally find his home in Pittsburgh? Who knows. But GM Martin would be crazy to trade a gem like Brad Richards who is only hitting the prime of his career right now.