Brad Richards...WOW!

Hey fellas, good luck tonight!

About Brad Richards, I haven't seen him play very often but every time I have, i've been quite impressed, although not when he almost singlehandedly eliminated my beloved Habs :madfire: ....

Am I wrong when I say that I see a little...dare I say it...Gretzky in him, just a little, IMO, he's definately the smartest player in the NHL and a great playmaker, and best of all, he's improved every year since he was drafted....

I don't usually drool over other teams players, as i'm pretty loyal to the Habs, but I can recongnize a great talent when I see one, bolts' fans are lucky to have a player of this caliber....

Again, good luck the rest of the way

I wouldn't go so far as saying he's the smartest player in the NHL, but he does have a remarkable hockey acumen for a 24-year-old. Richards' ice vision is arguably second to none in today's NHL, so I can see how you might say that's reminiscent of Gretzky. However, my personal feeling is that no athlete in any sport should ever be compared favorably to The Great One. Even Michael Jordan didn't dominate the NBA the way Gretz dominated the NHL. Even Tiger Woods hasn't dominated the PGA the way Gretz dominated the NHL. I know what you mean, but let's not get carried away.

Well, he did say just a little ;)

It's nice to see people recognizing Richards' talent, he's been a very consistent player for us and improving all the time.

Richards has been awesome in the playoffs this year! Great player for sure!

They just need to make sure he scores tomorrow night. The Bolts are undefeated in the games he's scored this year. :yo:

I seen richards play a lot this year, not just with the lightning but before tampa bay signed him this past year he was practising with the PEI rockets and he looked good. I also saw him giving the rockets some tips here and there which can only help montreals prospects. I want calgary to win since they r the only canadian team left and i also want tampa bay to win because if they do B-Richards brings the cup home! that would be awesome

I'm loving what Richards has done for the Bolts in the regular season and the playoffs. But I'm most happy that I was able to trade for him a year or so ago in my fantasy keeper league. :D

I like Richards but I prefer Maurice Richard ;)

I love Brad Richards. He's my favorite player in the NHL, did you know his best friend just passed away?? I donno how he's keeping his head on his shoulders and still putting up the numbers.

maybe he will be similar to a sakic arent they similar in size and weight, richards is an excellent hockey player great play maker, he also got great speed .he is a #1 center with out a doubt.

I love Brad Richards. He's my favorite player in the NHL, did you know his best friend just passed away?? I donno how he's keeping his head on his shoulders and still putting up the numbers.

Yeah, in an accident right before Game 5, right? I guess in the PC after Game 5 he said something about it. CBC aired it, no American TV did.

Did you guys read the thing on tsn.ca. It had a good line saying..."Maybe it's time to realize who the real star is in Tampa Bay." That's awesome!

I try to make comparisons and only Yzerman comes to mind. He wears 19 anybody know who his influences growing up were?? I remember Turk and his Red Wing days and I wonder if he does also....Turk was a linemate of Yzermans and had a late career stint with the Bolts...for anyone who was wondering.

I try to make comparisons and only Yzerman comes to mind. He wears 19 anybody know who his influences growing up were?? I remember Turk and his Red Wing days and I wonder if he does also....Turk was a linemate of Yzermans and had a late career stint with the Bolts...for anyone who was wondering.

Vinny and Brad have been close since they were 14. Yzerman is commonly referred as Vinny's favorite player growing up, maybe there is a connection there.

Look at his minor league stats I believe he scored 186 in one season.

I try to make comparisons and only Yzerman comes to mind. He wears 19 anybody know who his influences growing up were?? I remember Turk and his Red Wing days and I wonder if he does also....Turk was a linemate of Yzermans and had a late career stint with the Bolts...for anyone who was wondering.

Gretzky, Gretzky, and Gretzky.

That was his idol growing up.

His ideal number is 9 (because you can't wear 99 even if you're allowed to), but when he went to Rimouski, it was taken and he instead went with 39. When he got to Tampa, both 9 and 39 were taken, so he took 19 (was given 38 one camp, 41 the next before requesting 19). When he played for Canada in both the 2000 WJC and the 2001 WC, he wore #9.

A couple years ago Feaster compared his potential LEADERSHIP abilities to both Yzerman and Sakic (both 19s).

If you look at the way he plays, his awkward skating stride and how his head's always up, his love for Gretzky's office, passing and vision, (among other things), and don't shoot me for saying this, you can see his idol's style in him.

I'm not dumb enough to say the two were equal, but as far as style and look goes, I've followed Richards for a long time, and that's the mold he's in. (again, not in talent level, but mold-wise and how they look on the ice)

Maybe some of Gretzky, but honestly whenever I watch Richards I'm reminded of a younger version of another fine current player: Doug Weight. They're even about the same size.

If only Sybil were here.

He reminds me of Ron Francis. Quiet leadership, amazing playmaking, ability to score, clutch. Add to that the second-fiddle aspect (richards to lecavalier, francis to lemieux in their hey days) and the comparison gets stronger.

I think that the playoffs will be the only time that Richards ever gets as much ink as his buddy Lecavalier. But he's a real NHL stud who will carve out his niche by being consistent and consistently healthy. Has he missed five games in his whole career? I know his point totals over the last three years are better than Vinny's.

He'll never be the big man in the spotlight, but has the potential to be a Hall of Famer due to his leadership and statisics... if he can keep going for another 18 years...like Francis.

Has he missed five games in his whole career?

He missed two games due to a death in the family. He's never missed a game to injury.