Speaking of Richards ...

How about Brad Richards picking up five assists against the Blackhawks in his debut with the Stars? Guess all the stories and commentary about him having zero wingers with which to play since Fredrik Modin was traded and Marty St. Louis was moved off his line were accurate. I guess Eric Perrin wasn't kidding last season when he said if he had converted even a handful of the chances with which Richards presented him, he would have scored 30 goals.

Would seem Richards' effort last night puts even more scrutiny on general manager Jay Feaster's comments that he is going to try to rebuild the top two lines through free agency. He has tried that before, but with a little bit more money with which to play, perhaps he can go for higher-profile players, in other words, ones that can make a difference.

By the way, Brad Richards $7.8-million contract being off the books is only one way the team can save money for free agency. The belief is that Marc Denis' contract will be bought out this summer. That will save the team $2-million this season.

Here's the formula: Denis is scheduled to make $3-million next season. Buyouts are done at two-thirds rate spread out over double the remaining years of the contract. Denis has one season left, so the $2-million Denis will be paid will be spread out as $1-million next season and $1-million in 2009-10.

One final word on Richards: The guy was as classy as they come, and he stayed that way till the end. Consider how Feaster described the way the two sides worked through his trade.

When it became clear Richards would be traded, Feaster said Richards gave him the names of six teams to which he would agree to be traded. It just so happens, the Stars were at the top of that list, Feaster and Richards said.

"I can't say enough about he and his agent, Pat Morris,'' Feaster said. "They were professional through the whole thing. He made things a lot easier.''      

Comments

[Jimmy]

What did I tell you people? Richards, when surrounded by competent players is one of the better players in the league. He is going to be ridiculous in Dallas playing with their talent and I look forward to reading about his future success. This trade from Tampa Bay, although unfortunate for him personally and I as a fan (not really sure about the rest of you) will have resurrected his career.

[Michael]

Jimmy, you and I are and have been on the same page. I was very sad to see him go, but I KNEW that he would be VERY successful in Dallas, although I didnt expect a 5 assist game in his first with the team.

[TroyB]

I was so excited and happy for him while listening to the Dallas game last night (hey Verizon/Fios get Center Ice will ya) that I ordered a Dallas #91 jersey.

BTW, I watched a stream of a classy Bret Hull introducing Ritchie and Holmer to the Dallas organization. It's on Dallas' Web site.

Did I miss something? Did the Bolts introduce Smith, Jokinen and Halpren to the media and fans? If not, I think they need to fire their ad and promo guy.

[boltflasher]

The sad commentary is that PSE, JF and JT along with some unproductive teammates together forced this current scenario so that there was no choice but pull the trigger on the deal to trade to Dallas. I am sure Edmonton did not want to trade Gretzky but they had no choice due to their circumstances (a great deal of which was their own fault just as here)...

[cheryl from Sarasota, FL]

I watched the entire game last night and loved every minute of it watching Richie smiling and shinning brightly!!
Enjoying playing his game! All the Best Richie :) #91 Star

[Jimmy]

Great point Boltflasher. This has all been brought about by ownership that once looked golden. When ownership gets shaky it is a chain reaction and goes right down to ice level. Have a look at how Lecavalier and St. Louis have been performing the last 10-15 games...they can't be expected to do everything with no one around them, and I believe you are seeing them suffering the effects of that. I'll tell you, this paper and the rest of the media can keep talking about how "Lecavalier wants to stay in Tampa with long-term deal" but you can bet everything you have that he will not want to be here if his contract means that he will be bound for losing the next 5-7 years of his career. If he doesn't see much different between now and when it comes time to talk contract, as much as he has done for the community aside/as good a person as he is, he will not resign here.

In response to Michael, I am glad we see eye to eye on it, as I believe anyone that doesn't see it my way is blind to good talent. It was obvious Brad was feeling stuck here. Sure he loved the town, had his best buddy on the team and all, but of course if he knows his career is bound for the toilet staying here and getting ripped apart by fans and the media in this town, he would want out. I definitely didn't expect a 5 point showing in his debut, and obviously he won't keep anywhere near that pace, but do not be suprised to see him average well over a point per game in his new surroundings. I don't think a lot of people realize just how great the Stars are, and how much better off they are with Richards added to the squad.

Brett Hull has been absolutely in love with the guy for years and talked openly in interviews (pre-Richards acquisition) about how he thinks Brad is one of the best players in the league.

I just really hope this trade ends up working out on both ends, because if it doesn't it is the kind of move that dooms a franchise for years. I do have faith in Mr. Smith and everyone in this town needs to let him come in and do what needs to be done, free of tremendous pressure and negative connotations.

[keith]

Watched the game. One of the biggest cheers of the night came when Richie went over the wall for his first shift.
A perfect assist only a creative a top player could script, on his second shift.
Couldnt be happier for Richie. Hope he lights it up every night.
Conversely, also watched some of the Flyers game. Much less auspicious "return" for Prospal. He seemed a little umcomfortable. Everyone will now realize how good Marty and Vinny made him look. His selfish play was always set up by Marty and Vinny.
Anaheim re-run....maybe!

[keith]

Watched the game. One of the biggest cheers of the night came when Richie went over the wall for his first shift.
A perfect assist only a creative a top player could script, on his second shift.
Couldnt be happier for Richie. Hope he lights it up every night.
Conversely, also watched some of the Flyers game. Much less auspicious "return" for Prospal. He seemed a little umcomfortable. Everyone will now realize how good Marty and Vinny made him look. His selfish play was always set up by Marty and Vinny.
Anaheim re-run....maybe!

[Jimmy]

Yeah, Prospal will be a big letdown for a town that is quick to love you or hate you. He has been through there before to start and had a decent start there, but this time around it is a bit different. The Flyers are a young team with great potential and with Prospal being one of the older guys on the team, he is kind of going to be expected to more of a leader. That just will not happen. As Richards will excel in Dallas, Prospal will struggle in Philadelphia. Everyone just looks at the "now" and not the past or the future. They see Prospal with nearly 30 goals this year and ignorantly defend the guy for being some sort of good player, failing to look at his proven track record of inconsistent play and disappointment. He got moved from this team twice for good reason. People need to see this season as a contract year for Prospal. The Lightning had to get something for the guy before they got nothing and I feel that Picard will be a good defenseman for us. He sure looked like an old school defender the other night in his debut. The Lightning are obviously in a bad state of affairs and fans have to realize that this isn't going to change over night. Fans can hope that the team improves here to close out the last 15 games or so, of the year, but be honest in realizing that any idea of the playoffs is out. It just won't happen.

[Jason]

I wasn't sorry to see Richards go at all. Feaster's decision was the right one and remains the right one.

So Richards got 5 points in the Dallas game? Speaks more to the first game honeymoon (Halpern scored for us first game as well), than anything else. In fact, you might make the case that that proves Richards' wasn't really in to the Bolts games anymore and that his suck play was really an insult to the franchise for the incredible money he was getting paid here. Where was this wonderful Dallas effort when WE needed it most?

You can't say IF Richards plays with good players he is a better player. In my view, that's erroneous; what better players to match up with than Vinny and Marty, and he still sucked.

Bon voyage Brad. You were useless.

[Herb]

Bravo Jason....and let's not look back

[ajax]

We've had employees leave over the years. Still liked them, always wanted them to excel in their new job, some did better with their new scenery, we also got new people who were keepers from day one, but the bottomline was, how did we improve our place of work. That is how I look at life. Good for Brad. Now lets rebuild "OUR HOUSE"

[Stacey]

Real nice, Jason. It's people like you who will never make him regret waiving that no-trade. Please, you're going to bring up Richy not playing well on the top line? Who the h*ll IS nowadays? Can you not SEE this team is sinking? That these GREAT players are DROWNING here? I feel for them, I really do. I hope Mr. GM actually helps them this summer or I fear the worst coming... Regardless, GO BOLTS!

[keith]

Ditto Ajax. Own my own biz with 28 employees. They come and they go. But with each move, I wish them well and some times their leaving has helped my business improve, despite my thinking at the time the exiting employees is invaluable. Sometimes not.
I'm in the wait and see mode for the Bolts. Sad to see Richie go. Ive watched him since he first arrived. But business is business, in the long run I think TBL will be better off. May just take a while. Meantime I hope he is tremendously succesful in the big D.

[trey - dallas]

hey all. stars fan here.

when richards said he felt like an animal let out of the cage, he wasn't kidding, eh?

so, this whole trade reminded me of one we made several years ago which sent our top prospect to calgary, a guy named iginla, in return for joe nieuwendyk.

i think you got a guy, in smith, that's going to turn out to be as impactful for the lightening as iginla has been for the flames. and, we're sure hoping last night wasn't just a honeymoon. richards gives us three lines that can dominate and feed off eachother.

jason may have a little too much venom in his comment above, but i think he's right to not look back - you have the next great puck handling net minder getting his helmet painted to match his jersey.

that's something to be excited about.

[Patrick]

Wow, it's so refreshing to read positive comments and stories about Brad that are in my opinion, well deserved. It's great to hear Brad is, at least for the moment, getting the respect and adoration from the fans he hadn't gotten here for so long.

I'm was also going to get a #91 stars jersey, but then I saw the new stars jerseys and I was pretty disappointed - they look a little plain.

I've never considered getting a player's jersey after they leave my favorite team before and I was wondering what's different in this case. And I think it's that I feel that Brad became an underserving scapegoat - chosen by some of the fans as a result of the situation created by the ownership-fiasco and the GM. But seeing how well Richards has done in his first night, I now feel like he's actually been freed.

Hearing some of his comments before the game yesterday about how the team was carried by 3 or 4 players - I imagine applies on a couple of different levels - the talent of the roster, the fact that the some of the players are playing WAY too many minutes, etc. It sounds like he's actually glad to be out. I think that is a real bad sign for our team.

And as much as I have disagreed with some of the people on this blog about Richards, some of their other points about the state of this team are finally starting to dawn on me. I am suddenly scared that I have been in denial... We probably are at a point where it would just be better for most involved to totally rebuild the team.

But it doesn't look like that is what is happening. We kept boyle, for a lot of money. He's 32 - that's not rebuilding. It sounds like they definitely want to keep Vinny4 - which does not entirely disappoint me. But he really looked a bit lost as the game went on last night.

As I was saying to Leo, I just don't think Vinny4 is the type of person who can carry a team. He's never done it before - he's always had help or someone else to be the scapegoat. Now it's just him and Marty and Boyle.

At least all of the new players looked promising in their first games, but we'll really have to withhold judgement until the end of the season. One thing is definitely clear - now it's going to be Vinny4 that is going to need some help as it looks like he's gonna be carrying the offense for the rest of the season.

[skp]

glad to see richy play well, and long may it continue. but we shouldn't kid ourselves into thinking he or the team could duplicate the success in tampa. he's a first-line center that should be paired with a team's top wings, plain and simple. with his salary and vinny's ability that couldn't be justified here. what would make this deal a COMPLETE disaster, though, is if we lose vinny in FA next year and lose 2 of the best centermen in the NHL in back to back seasons.

[Eric]

As far as Tampa introducing the new guys from Dallas...

Its different circumstances. Dallas just added a name/face that could be considered by some to be a "superstar". Tampa just got rid of one of the biggest guys in franchise history. A big deal being made about the players we got for him could come across as a bit of a slight...I think they wanted to hold off on that, maybe as a bit of a sign that 'hey this was a tough thing to do...we wish it wasnt necessary but it was' On top of that, its 3 relatively unknowns and you don't have big introductions for these guys.

I dont have a problem with the lack of an intro/press conference. I think its almost a sign of respect to Richards. And good for him for hitting the ground running. I hope he helps Dallas win the Cup this year, but not next if we are in the mix.

[skp]

one more thing - it stings to see the lightning lose, but it's the best thing for them now. they need a top 2 pick to get a strong offensive player in this draft, stamkos or filatov....absolutely necessary because there are so few legitimate top 6 forwards porjected in FA. if the lottery lands us outside the top 5, this franchise will be hard-pressed to return to the playoffs anytime soon. no playoffs means fewer fans, which means less money from ownerhip, meaning even fewer wins....and suddenly we're back to the beginning. lose, lose, lose! but look good doing it ;)

[Patrick]

Sorry for the novel above, but believe or not I forgot something.

I saw someone earlier post that good for Richards on dallas, but we were never going to be able to afford wingers for him to succeed like he did last night.

I checked NHL Salaries - Meittinen and Hagman both make under 1 mil each. Hagman had never scored more than 17 goals before this season and Meittinen has not yet either. Of course, it's only been one night and Richards line may run out of gas quickly... but if it doesn't, it's gotta really make you question the level of skill on our forward lines.

Perhaps we have been overstating the quality of our players after the Big 3 forwards? Maybe we basically have a scoring line and three "4th lines"? Yikes!

[Mike]

Let's not forget he was something like a -25. Had he been even or plus 1 or 2 how many more games would we have won. I am hoping that this will be a great trade for both sides and though not likely next year, but perhaps in a few we can meet up with Richards again in late May/early June. He was very classy while here and even more so as he was leaving.

[Mike13]

I agree Eric. No big intro's needed for Jokinen, Smith, and Halpern. On the flip side, Dallas' acquisition of Richards is a HUGE deal for that franchise. With his salary, it better be...

We have to remember that shedding $4-million in salary was a major point of that trade. Of course, giving 3 of it to Boyle was a bit of a let down. If we're going to tank the rest year, a part of me wishes we could have traded him for a similar player who's younger and cheaper.

One thing is becoming very clear, whoever owns this team in 2008-09 will have to increase the payroll budget in order to keep Lecavalier. If they don't, the GM will be faced with another tough situation 1 year from now...

[mike]

hey... gonna say to start that i always liked brad and am quite glad hes seeing some early success. What i am concerned about is this... heres a guy who was making almost $8mil a year and was a puported leader on our team. Now ya can say all ya want about how bad his wingers were on the line, but a guy at that point in his career and status on our team had a RESPONSIBILITY to the coaches, management, fans and the team to help motivate and lead the underperforming players. Think Brad fell short in that area. Nice guy... lotta talent... but questionable leadership skills and attitude when things are not going his way.

[Voice of the Turtle]

Maybe Brad secretly wanted to be traded. I watched the 5 assist Dallas game, and I do not remember Richards ever playing that well in a Lightning uniform (at least in the last three seasons).

Although its too soon to tell for sure, it appears likely that yet another bonehead move has been made by Jay Feaster. It is also clear that Coach Tortorella (who has lead the league in uttering foul expletives for the last few years) was unable to adequately tap Brad Richard's talents.

Watching the Bolts perform this season is like observing a building implode in slo-mo. Although apparently more adept at creating such demolitions than running a hockey team, the same crew continues to oversee the Lightning show.

This team has gone from Riches to rags.

I have not seen such imbecilic mismanagement of a hockey team since Harold Ballard's reign in Toronto; moreover, it ain't over yet!

[Mike13]

Also, I highly recommend watching the press conference on Dallas' website introducing Richie. He tries extremely hard to not bash the Lightning franchise, but I think it gives us some insight into how Lecavalier and St. Louis must be feeling.

http://stars.nhl.com/

[Mike13]

Given his comments at that press conference and the clues he left on the ice last night, I have to agree somewhat with VotT.

And I completely agree with the assessment of the franshise's management. I have a sneaking suspicion that Torts and Feaster will be history if OK actually buys this team.

[Brett of Boston]

Jason, assisting on 5 goals in one game is no coincidence or accident. Where was the effort? "Suck play"? Useless? Sir, you might watch a lot of games but if thats what you truly believe of Brad I'm afraid you don't know much about the game. Richards was absoultely dazzling last Saturday against the Bruins.

[Lauren]

Shows what the guy can do when he has two good wingers with him.

[Jason]

Bret of Boston,

I remember well Richards' incredible MVP performance in '04 to help us win the Cup. He was dazzling then too. But if you think that last night's performance for Dallas somehow erases all of the bad play we got out of this guy for the last 3 months, then you should question your own hockey sense not mine. I agree with Feaster and Tortorella - Richards had to go and his earning of approximately 21 thousands dollars PER DAY was obscenely grotesque for the little output and minus 25 he gave back to us.

[Joe Hardy]

I couldn't wait to see the box scores from Brad's 1st game in Dallas (I wasn't able to watch). No surprise; he 1st Star. Brad Richards is one hell of a hockey player. I hope this move along with the loss of all of the other talent from the Cup team proves to the new ownership that the Feaster/Tortorella combo is the problem.

[leo]

Patrick,
Vincent Lecavalier isn't 19 yrs old anymore.
He can carry ANY team in the NHL.
BBR

[Anne]

It is obvious this is a pro-Brad fan club blog. Everyone's got on rose coloured glasses for their fav player. Richie's the darling, Feaster and coach the bad guys. Too funny really.

Listen up; it doesnt matter what Brad is doing with the Stars - he could be getting hat tricks every night but that irrelevant. It's what he did with the LIghtning,and that was very little, good wingers or not. Terrible plus minus. No passion, unable to hit even a gadfly skating past him. I think what irks some folk is that Brad never seemed to care or own up to how badly he was doing. He never put any real passion in to his play, but he did collect hte $$$ and run. Never said "I" am playing poorly and have to step it up. Always "we have to get pucks to the net" "we have unlucky breaks" etc. And for this, we should laucnh a we love Brad committee?

[Herb]

Bravo to you too Anne

[poledancer]

For better or worse that plus minus thing on Richards is bogus.

When you play on the power play and a short handed goal is scored against you then you get a -1.

The reverse isn't true when you are on the PP and score you don't get a +1.

Richards was on the ice for all the Bolt power plays, for all the right reasons.

Pretty good face off guy too.

[Herb]

Although I think that Feaster and Torts are big problems this team faces.

[Anne]

I think your probably right Herb. Though the two are working with a real budget crisis and are limited in what they can do. still the Denis trade WAS horrible and drains the teams finances to this day, thanks to Feaster.

[Casper]

Gee, I noticed my past mistakes on this blog. This is in no way shape or form, a hockey blog supporting the local club.
It is a forum for the 'icon' envious; the obsessive compulsive "Enquiring Mind" and tabloid doo-doo about the participants passing through our field of vision. Vision, that's another word that’ll get one in dutch around here, right Ajax, Leo, et al?

As usual, the selective memory and smarmy adulation has clouded over the one cogent point and question brought forth by Jason, “Where was this wonderful Dallas effort when WE needed it most?" The answer from your learned fellow bloggers Jason, is, "I don't care what you Brad haters say, nothing is ever his fault. Now lay off! Uh, this week we want coach fired; yeah, that’s it. Brad’s gone because of the Dictator behind the bench."
Check your grip…

Buy a Dallas #91 sweater---what smarmy horsebleep nonsense! Who the firetruck cares on the Bolts' blog? Many, and that is sad. Feel free to attack me if you don’t agree, I can take it and get right back up after a check.
Buhoo…sniff…

Later...

Go Bolts! ---hope that, didn’t offend…..

[Valerie]

Brad clearly won't keep up the 5 ppg pace, but it was nice to see him on the scoresheet in a positive manner. He was only a +2, however..

I don't know why there is all this negative attitude towards Richards- for those of you that are happy to see him gone, perhaps you should just count your lucky Stars, and get over it- your attitudes are ruining this for the rest of us.

Anyways... my point was that there are some of us that think Brad was still a large part of this team, and I don't really appreciate you telling me that he was useless and playing without passion. His last two seasons have not been outstanding, that's for sure... his output has been marginal, and we all know the story about his +/-. However, I am not basing his whole time here in Tampa on these last two years. Have you forgotten 03-04 so quickly? That is one part of our Bolts history that would not have transpired if Brad had not stepped up his game.

Anne, Herb, and Jason, hope have a good weekend- sounds like you need it!

[Jason]

Thanks anyway, Valerie, but I think our weekends will be just fine nonwithstanding your condescensions.

Remember, this is a BLOG. We're here to discuss players and issues, not sing kumbaya in their reverence. If some of you think the sun shines from Brad's gluteus maximus, fine---that's your perfect right. I sincerely respect your right to an opinion and trust you'll consider mine. But obviously, some of us---including the guys that make the decisions in the head office---don't think the sun shines as mentioned, and so we're offering our perspective based on cold, hard, NUMBERS. Read: 8 million dollars equals mediocrity and one of the worst plus minuses in the league with no physical effort. Now that speaks for itself in my view.

[Anne]

Well done Casper! Coulndt said it better myself. I promise, if anyone tried to board you, I will run interference (LOL

[Frank]

Brad's "time here" is not forgotten, but it seems to have terminated in June 2004 no? Time to move forward and not dwell on the past.

[Mary Beth]

It's amazing what a couple of FINNISH-ers can do!

*sigh*

[Joe]

Love the pass some of you want to give Feaster. The beginning of the end was letting Khabibulin walk and signing Marty to thr big money. Fat boy also let Stillman, Fedotenko and Kubina leave for nothing. Oh wait, his draft picks are arriving to help. Then Modin for NOTHING. Now Richards for ?? Dudley always spoke of players as assets. Feaster has squandered almost every one he inherited. If OK Hockey's first move isn't to cashier this joker then the franchise is doomed.

[Roxstar]

This trade sickens me to death. It was sooo clear what we neede to do for Brad...Stillman, Fedetenko, Modin, Prospal...all players that complimented Brad. We got rid of those players for put: Ward, MacDonald, Tarnasky etc in!? Seeing Brad in another Jersey gives me a feeling in my stomach I haven't felt since being dumped in High School.

[leo]

Poledancer,
I think there is an inherent sense of responsibilty if you're on the PP. You DESERVE the minus-1 if you get scored on BECAUSE the other team is short-handed.
I totally agree with that, Casper. Let's move on; it's the nature of the game and liquidating Richards' contract was a move that needed to be done, regardless of where he went and who he played with. Besides, I'm sure I'm not being overly critical if I say that MOST of the other teams have a better 2nd line than ours, so it was kinda obvious that with Dallas fighting for 1st in the West, Brad would somehow "make a splash" with his new team. I mean, DALLAS, ferpetessakes!
Hey,
Mikey Smith and Jussinikken?
I'm happy.
Anyways, you're right Casper and Anne; who cares about the South Stars?
If we ever talk about another team, it'll be the Habs, right?
Huey is gone.
It's all on my Boy.
This is it.
Any thoughts, Lisa?
BBR

[David]

I'd love to jump and say it's obvious Brad wanted out, it's obvious that Torts can't coach him(or anyone) and that Feaster can't run this club. I do believe all that but I'm not going to claim it as fact based on one good game by Richards in his honeymoon. Good play or bad play, never expect what happens in the first few games after a trade to be the player's baseline.

I personally think it is a combination of everything, not having elite wingers on his line, bad coaching by Torts and a loss of what might best be called "faith" from Richards resulting in his poor play. But at the end of the day we have to own our own production, I do, you do, and Richards does.

[Casper]

Leo I have a good feeling about your Kid. Given no choice but to step up, I strongly believe he'll do it. Worst thing that could happen is if Gainey someday throws a fit and brings in someone like Tortorella and his goalie-killing 'system'.

That never happening, The Canadiens will cause much indigestion to my old New England peeps. Good; who cares? But whenever they encounter the Bolts, I wish for each of the Habs to take a slow, painful shower after losing to us.

Go hard tonight Lads, we despise the Leafs' mouthy jive and affection by zebras more than most.

[Mike13]

Hey Leo, what the heck was Montreal thinking getting rid of Huet at this time of year? Talk about a HUGE leap of faith for your boy...

I was reading Kolzig's reaction to the Caps' acquisition of Huet. He's not at all pleased. And why should he be? Now he's got some REAL competition for his starter job. It'll be interesting to see what that deal does to their chemistry.

[Patrick]

Wow, Richards has no heart. I think it says a lot about the people on this blog who have said that and about the people who have not immediately jumped on those for saying it.

He was a freaking Conn Smythe trophy winner. He was awarded it in spite of how great Khabi played. Have you ever watched the playoffs? Players with no heart do not excel in the playoffs, they disappear... a la Alexei Yashin while he was in Ottawa.

Richards averaged more than a point a game in 3 out of his 4 playoff seasons. Oh and he was awarded a Conn Smythe trophy for being the most valuable player during the cup run.

Why do you think he was flying around all game his Dallas debut? Because he planned on showing people whether or not he was worth that salary that's been talked so much about. A player with no heart wouldn't care.

Brett Hull has obviously been watching Richards the last couple of seasons as well and still wanted him and his salary. I guess the st. pete times bloggers can spot a player with no heart better than Brett Hull though. Please.

[bear]

Leo of course there is joint responsibility but my point is its a zero sum game.

You can only draw the negatives and when you play 10 plus minutes a night it adds up.

[Herb]

Hats off to you too,Casper Well put

[Herb]

Hey Roxstar go buy you Stars 91 jersey and leave Lightningland for your obvious new favorite team.

[Buona sera]

Stacey...Brett...Valerie...and myself aren't members of a "pro-Brad blog" because we just say it right....
Maybe it's the others who are "anti-Brad blog fans" leaded by Jason...
You don't like Brad...that's your right...like giving your opinion....
But don't spend your venom using and giving wrong informations....
Yes...2003-04 is behind...but what respect from that team , taking off his 2 wingers, and letting him going down after...
Yes he cashed the checks... and shut it up...But he also tried to keep helping that team. What about that video-meeting (ordered by coach) when he was the one taking charge ...also supported by V4 and Marty...wasn't it leadership....
Sorry Jason, but for the only 5 games he played with 4 and 26, he DIDN'T SUCK, getting 7 pts and +2, helping that team to get 7 points of 10...
WHO would have reacted with such class, despite his salary ( that has become the MAIN reason for hating him ), after having being treated that way by his employers...???
It's not to cry on him...it's to put things in perspective...You have that talented player ( Conn Smythe + 91 pts after )and YOU pay him 7.8, but you take his partners off...Wasn't St.Louis the top NHL scorer playing beside him...??? ...wasn't Modin looking so good next to him (how has been Modin since ??? - tell us Jason...!!! )
Enough... you all know that but you want to forget it in order to hate him more...!!! But let those who remember those facts being happy to see THEIR player HAPPY again, like he has been most of the time in Tampa, before the last stretch...
Like when people dies, we remember the best of them....For the Bolts ,Brad is dead...but his heritage is huge...

[Top-Shelf Short-Side]

Brad was overpaid... plain and simple, but not as much as many of you think. How many other forwards in the league play PK, PP quarterback, and 25+ minutes a game as well as this guy did? 51 points in 62 games not bad, now he has 56 points in 63 games... better. The guy was let go for all the wrong reasons, again.

On a similar note, anyone see Vinny4 trying to quarterback the PP the other night?? What a joke that was.

[Frank M]

Anne it is quite obvious in your pompous diatribe that you really don't know a whole heck of a lot about what you are talking about. It was obvious the guy wasn't playing well but do not say that he never lived up to him playing badly because he did. It is you band wagoning retards that really ruin this game for those of us that have been around since day 1 and know what we are talking about. If I were Richards I would have wanted off this sinking ship too. The team went from being on top of the world in June 2004 (when most of you people jumped on the bandwagon) and have plummeted to being the team we were pre-2002. A lot of you people didn't sit through the pounding we took night in and night out from team after team at the old Cow Palace (Expo Hall), you haven't really been around for the Thunder Dome years (although many of you probably went to a handful of games) and you most certainly weren't there for those god awful years in the mid-to-late 90s when I would sit in the crowd with my family 41 times a year to watch us just get destroyed. A lot of people weren't there to see Lecavalier score 28 points on a garbage Lightning team as an 18 year old player. Most of you people just know him as the poster boy for a Stanley Cup Champion who is a top scorer in the league. I get so tired of getting on here and hearing people run their mouths about things they have no understanding of. You same people ripping Richards apart are the same people that loved him two years ago. The Lightning have been a one line team for two years now and money or not, it becomes quite disheartening to come to the rink everyday knowing that your owner/coach/GM are doing very little to make it more than such. It may be that ownership has tied Feaster's hands, just as was done to Phil Esposito with the terrible crooked Japanese group that owned the team in it's humble beginnings or it may just be that Feaster is in over his head and is failing at his task, but there are some of you on here that need to wake up and recognize good hockey players when they see them. Richards is going to be right back to the 80-90 point guy that he is while he is in Dallas, just as he had worked his way up to in Tampa until the last couple of years. If you haven't played this game you really don't understand much about the chemistry that goes into teammates. When you lose a guy like Modin who has been your right hand man for years it isn't always easy to rebound. Especially when it the likes of guys who should be 3rd or 4th line guys on most teams in the league. It isn't fans who view Richards as a darling or pretty boy or any other non-sense, it is people that know what they are watching. The guy is a top player in this league and although not playing up to it here in Tampa, he will continue to be one elsewhere.

[Herb]

Cute Frank someone has an opinion and they are a "retard". Nice real nice How old are you 13?

[Herb]

The real "bandwagon" fans you are referring to are now Dallas fans.

[mikey p]

Thank you Anne... we share the same opinion of brad... lacked effort and leadership (recently) and was obviously disenchanted with the organization (managmement and coaches). And thats no excuse... we dont need $8mil worth of baggage on our team. No complaints on the trade here. Can i sit next to you tonight at the game? lol.

[Frank M]

Well considering I have been going to nearly every game the team has played since the first one at Expo Hall in October 1992 that would make me a bit older than 13 wouldn't it? Laugh it up, but those comments are the truth.

[Jeep (Since someone else is already Eric)]

Oddly, the naysayers that said Richie was washed up, and it wasn't the lack of good wingers to convert his chances are absent from this thread. At the warm up skate before Thursday's loss, I wore my 19 jersey for the last time, until the Stars come to town, whenever that might be. Luckily, Brad was kind enough to sign it for me at last Sunday's practice in Brandon, what might have been the last Bolts jersey he signed. Talk about a last second luck-out. I teared up a little big, losing the player I followed more than anyone else in the league all my years was hard. And I wasn't the only one. This team lost its heart and soul, and many of us recognize it. Sad all it would have taken to keep him would be spending to the cap instead of penny pinching by a half-assed owner.

Congrats on finally getting the line you deserve Brad, keep wowing us like we always knew you would. These kids we got for you have some awfully big shoes to fill.

[mikey p]

Jeep... a turnaround performance like his first game in Dallas shows us that his "heart and soul" were not here in tampa... guess somewhere during the gut wrenching plane ride to Dallas he got it back.

[Herb]

Well your choice of words show you as handicapped yourself. My wife works with/for a 30 year old man that was 14 when she started with him.He has cerebal-palsey and is mentally challenged(I won't use the word you used). My son grew up with him from the age of 6 months old and is now serving in the Army. He got into trouble at school(until the facts came out), because kids like you treat people with disabilities with contempt. He stuck up for a kid who had a similar disability,and fought back at the punks .He knows better how to look at people so I figure you can't be too far away from those kids who don't understand different people. You should be ashamed for using such a stupid word describing someone who doesn't share your views.

[Anne]

your saying it true Mikey (LOL).

FYI Frank M, I was here since 1992 when Crisper, Hamrlik, Cross, Bradley et al coached/played wild and wooly hockey and we watched our Bolts get killed night after night. So I think from a fan perspective, I have as much right to criticize as you do to complement. Now that's not so "retarted" is it? Please, spare me your ad hominem juvenile insults. You're a better guy than that.

Buona sera, I don't see how Richards holding a meeting and getting 7 points in his last stretch somehow absolves him of his last 2 year slump.

He was being paid EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS to get points on the board so what's so special about 7 points in the last dozen games?

Look, its because Richards WAS a Con Smythe winner and because he was MVP in 04 we expected an awful lot from him, and he simply didnt deliver, period. BTW, I thought Richards was brilliant in 04 and during the playoffs. Looked like Gretzky, knew where to be at all times, it was almost uncanny. But that's water under the bridge. Now is what counts and he just wasnt cutting it.

[Frank M]

Herb, way to jump all over me for using that word. You act like I described handicapped people like that, which is far from the case. I find it interesting that in a hockey blog you would bring cerebal-palsey into this. I would not see a handicapped kid on the streets and call them by such a name. Before you go off on people for calling others stupid for not seeing talent right in front of their faces, keep in mind that a discussion on hockey and the handicapped people of the world are two different things and I treat them as such.

[Jason]

Beautifully said Herb. Its oh so easy for people to hide behind the anonymity of their computers and hurl insults at others, makes them feel powerful and validated.

Let's all remember guys and gals, we're not challenging Brad Richards as a human being, we're simply expressing disgust over the amount of money he has been paid, and the little we got in return for it. It's bad enough the budget problems our team is under without making excuses for bad play and unproductive players.

That's all folks...........!

[Jason]

There Frank, you're doing it again. you're calling people "stupid" because they don't see the talent YOU see. Where did you acquire this innate ability to spot talent while others are incapable of seeing it?

[Lisa]

I have always like Richards and will always remember the Cup run. However, for whatever reason (whether it is coaching, pressure, injury, linemates, etc), Richards has not produced over the last 2 years. At least not enough to justify his salary.

With the internal cap, we did not have the money to go out and get good 2nd line players to play with Brad. However, even when paired with Vinny and Marty for those few weeks, I did not see Richards really come through for us consistently. I did not see the effort that we saw in this game in Dallas. When was the last time you saw Richards hit a player or go into the corners and fight for and come out with the puck?

Maybe he was tired ahd overworked, or maybe he just lost his enthusiasm for playing here. I don't know what the answer is, but I do know that he just wasn't providing the team what was needed from him on a consistent basis.

I am happy for him that his first game in Dallas went so well. I do wish him all the best, and since the Lighting won't be making it to the playoffs this year, I will support Dallas and hope they can win. However, the Lighting are and always will be my team. I won't jump off the bandwagon and become a Dallas fan.

I hope that Vinny is serious when he says that he wants to sign a long term deal with the Bolts and I hope it gets done this summer. I would like to see the team build around him: we need to get a legitimate 2nd line, and if we can get Stamkos, we have a good beginning. We need to get some legitimate scoring wingers. We need another veteran shut down defenseman, and I hope that Smith is the answer to our goaltending woes.

Anyway, I hope we can take the rest of this season to assess what we have and make decisions about who to keep and what our needs for free agency and the draft.

Leo, I hope your kid can handle the pressure in Montreal, and that the Canadiens don't regret giving away Huet for so little right before their playoff run.

What is happening to Ottawa? They looked unbeatable early this season, and now, they seem to be falling apart. (Can't say I am disappointed).

[Herb]

There you go again Frank. Only see what you want to see. I said he has cerebral-palsy AND.....AND......in case you missed it AND is mentally challenged. I refuse to use that insensitive word that you sling around like a rapper slings around vulgar words in "gangsta rap". It shows immaturity, as does putting down someone who doesn't share your views.

[Herb]

Too bad this blog doesn't have an ignore feature. Work on it can't you St.Pete Times and DC. Go Bolts and to hell with the Stars.

[leo]

What happened in Ottawa, Lisa?
I think you know exactly what happened.
My favorite topic: No goalie; no Victory. That's it.
Good!
And now Spezza for butt-ending; zat team iz slowly goink, To Ze Schowers!!! Haha! Too bad Ottawa. Maybe next year...bwah-ha-ha!
Oh hey,
Who's that, creeping into 1st in NE Division?
Thanx for everthing, Huey.
But the Future is here.
BBR

[Jonathan]

Per Frank:
"The guy is a top player in this league and although not playing up to it here in Tampa, he will continue to be one elsewhere."

Thank you. That is the point that I, along with ajax, Lisa, Jason, et al have been making. You're disagreeing with us because you like him, but he WAS NOT getting the job done here. There was no reason to continue to wait it out. Money and patience were running thin.
Maybe he will be a Conn Smythe trophy winner again. I'm not saying he can't, but he wasn't going to do it HERE since he couldnt even help us get into the playoffs this year.

As much as we ALL overlook it from time to time, hockey is a business and we are customers. As much as we might have allegiance to a certain player, the greater good of the team is winning. Hopefully Smitty or Juicy or Halpern will push us over the edge. And for those of you now rooting for Dallas when they come to town (cough*bandwagoners*cough), maybe Richards will do it for them. But who are you going to blame if he doesnt?

[Mike13]

Leo: are you referring to New Jersey? Hehehehe

[Casper]

I knew a kid in the Air Force who racked up all sorts of awards and eventually got a rare, on the spot field promotion. He was a ‘prince’ of a guy, both in and out of uniform.
In the year and a half that followed, his section experienced a dramatic drop off in production and safety adherence. A couple of guys got hurt while working longer hours, and some aircraft though not crashed, thank god, were declaring more IFE’s (In Flight Emergency) than usual.

After ‘the cat’s whiskers’ was sent to a base in Germany, some points came to light by numerous co-workers of his. They had gotten accustomed to covering for this guy, for he had openly admitted he could get the job done as well as his co-workers with less than half the effort.
He began to routinely take short cuts, heap inordinate responsibility upon his fellow aircraft mechanics, and cease to demonstrate the attention to detail or (here it comes…) commitment toward excellence.

They couldn't raise the B.S. flag because he was the Honcho's darling.

It took another year to work out the sluggish practices instilled by this self promoting clown. Inside of two years after he left, that Unit won the Hughes Trophy for Outstanding Unit Award.

Living through that and cleaning up the mess left behind, I feel qualified to recognize when a gifted sort of person is just mailing it in.

Yes, Brad Richards is a boundless talent. How long before Dallas sees the on-ice slacker of hollow resolve we punted out of here is anyone’s guess.

In Jeff Halpern I see a familiar sort of esprit de corps workaholic, and I for one, am awfully danged glad he’s here. I don’t care what he cost us. Yokie and Big Mike are icing on the cake, to me.

I humbly apologize for the drift in recognizance and wish peace to all.

Go Bolts!

[Casper]

Oh, the Ottawa talk reminded of a nice point. We can all have a spring in our step because the enigmatic Emery didn't land here.
Just one more reason to say, "I like Mike!"

[leo]

Miiiiike13?
Oh Mike?
Who's that creeping in NORTH EAST DIVISION? Mike?
NE Division.
Not Eastern Conference. Mike?
When discussing La Sainte-Flanelle, Leo knows it all, you know that. C'mon, man!
Hey,
Fuhgeddabowdit. My hockey is Bleu-Blanc-Rouge. Dutiful Love. We are instituted into Glory and as such, have to rise above little mockery and all that silliness.
So fuhgeddabowdit.
But doubt me no more, Mikey.
BBR

[leo]

And thanx for the heads-up on that Air-Force dude, Casper.
Guess we won't be seeing him as a goaltender anytime soon.
As for the Priceberg, it's not about him being great at "stopping pucks". That's not his claim to fame. That is NOT the reason that Gainey and Cie are changing underwear every 2 hours.
What he's good at, what he's heralded for, is because he's great at "stopping pucks under Pressure".
Besides, I'm sure you'll agree that there's a wee difference in playing hockey in a spotlight and landing aircraft on a 300ft slab of asphalt in the middle of the Atlantic.
I'd still take your guy over my Boy to perform the latter; I'll tell ya that fer nuthin'.
BBR

[Patrick]

Sorry for the novel above, but believe or not I forgot something.

I saw someone earlier post that good for Richards on dallas, but we were never going to be able to afford wingers for him to succeed like he did last night.

I checked NHL Salaries - Meittinen and Hagman both make under 1 mil each. Hagman had never scored more than 17 goals before this season and Meittinen has not yet either. Of course, it's only been one night and Richards line may run out of gas quickly... but if it doesn't, it's gotta really make you question the level of skill on our forward lines.

Perhaps we have been overstating the quality of our players after the Big 3 forwards? Maybe we basically have a scoring line and three "4th lines"? Yikes!