John Stevens: 'Richards is like a son'
Los Angeles Kings assistant coach John Stevens is glad to have Mike Richards back in the fold after mentoring him early in his career in Philadelphia.
John Stevens: 'Richards is like a son'
In a Los Angeles front office filled with former Flyers staff members, Kings assistant coach John Stevens would not take any credit for playing a role in last week’s blockbuster deal that sent Mike Richards to the west coast.
But that doesn’t mean Stevens, who was dismissed at the Flyers’ head coach on Dec. 4, 2009 after parts of four seasons at the helm, wasn’t a big fan of the deal.
In fact, Stevens is exactly the guy that could help take Richards’ game to the next level after what felt like two stagnant seasons.
“Management was totally responsible for this decision,” Stevens said in an interview with Scott Laughlin on NHL Home Ice on XM Radio this week. “I don’t think too many other people other than the involved parties really knew [Richards] was available.”
Stevens said general manager Dean Lombardi, who worked with the Flyers from 2003 to 2006 as a Western Conference scout, assistant GM Ron Hextall and head coach Terry Murray were all “extremely comfortable” with Richards.
Murray was an assistant coach with the Flyers from 2004 to 2008 during Richards’ infancy as a pro.
Their familiarity may ultimately be what swayed Lombardi to make the deal after he reportedly waffled for a little bit on trading three promising players for Richards.
“I almost feel like Mike is a son,” Stevens said, “Because we’ve seen Mike come into the organization as a young man. He won a championship for us right out of junior hockey with the Phantoms in 04-05, and we’ve seen what he did at the World Junior tournament for Team Canada and also how he performed at the Olympics.
“It’s not as if there is anything unknown about this young man. His play speaks for itself. We’re as excited about the person, Mike Richards, as we are the player. It was more just the fact that he was available and what it would take to get him to Los Angeles.”
Stevens, too, said he was stunned that the Flyers were willing to part ways with both Richards and Jeff Carter, let alone on the same day. Stevens jokingly said he thought that Richards and Carter should be treated like twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
“I don’t think anybody expected both guys to be moved,” Stevens said. “I’m sure it took a lot of thinking and going over and figuring the cap out. At the end of the day, they had to make some cap space.
“I almost look at them as if they’re the Sedins and they should be together forever. It will be odd for me to see them on different teams.”
Aside from an off-ice lifestyle change, which Richards said in a recent interview that he has been having fun looking at real estate in Los Angeles, Stevens said Richards could benefit from the change of scenery - especially in not having to deal with the media and the pressure of a defined leadership role.
Richards, by the way, will switch to No. 10 with the Kings, as his familiar No. 18 is Dave Taylor’s retired number in Los Angeles.
“It’s going to be entirely different for him,” Stevens said. “Philadelphia is a very passionate sports town and the media are very demanding. And rightfully so. They’re a very diehard, enthusiastic group of fans there and the media there are an extension of that.
“Certainly coming to Los Angeles, there are lot of other interests there, whether it be college sports or the entertainment industry or certainly the Lakers. The fan base in LA is terrific. But I do think you somewhat hide under the radar in any comparison to Philadelphia in terms of dealing with the media. In LA, we get the media coverage, but in Philadelphia the Flyers are front and center all of the time.
“I think this will be very comfortable for Mike just because he wants to just go play hockey, he wants to lead by example and he just wants to do his talking on the ice.”
As for the pieces coming back to Philadelphia, Stevens hinted that Lombardi needed to swallow hard, saying the Flyers got a good return on the trade.
Stevens said Wayne Simmonds is a “terrific person, good player. He’s an up-and-coming, hard-nosed kid that has some skill. He can play anywhere in your Top 9 for sure.” And with Brayden Schenn, Stevens said “we all had big hopes for him.”
The Flyers have already begun negotiating with Simmonds, who is a restricted free agent, and is expected to command around $1.9 million this summer.
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ILYA 24/7: NHL chief operating officer John Collins confirmed to Canada’s Globe and Mail that the Flyers and Rangers will be participating in the Emmy Award winning HBO documentary “24/7” leading up to the Jan. 2 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park.
The documentary, installed in four parts previewing Pittsburgh and Washington last winter, was a huge hit because of the behind-the-scenes access.
What can we expect this year? How about plenty of Ilya Bryzgalov and Rangers coach John Tortorella. You can get a glimpse of Bryzgalov's bubbly personality below.
"Why you heff to be mad?"
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Translation: No worries Richie. You will love LA because they don't give a s--- about hockey. Sounds like hockey nirvana for a hockey player. Did John wake up from his coma to give this enlightening perspective-you do realize that your son and his blond twin played a big part in you losing your head coaching job. Have fun together boys— debbyt- Completely agree. Everyone says Richards was the heart and soul this team. Well, the team showed no heart or soul for games 1,3,4 against Boston nor for months Feb, March, April of the regular season - so therefore said heart and soul should be removed. — gob1234
- Funny how he seemed to show heart when he carried the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago averaging a point a game in the Cup run. Philly fans are funny. So quickly to forget. Meanwhile, giving a goalie who has never been a top 5 in the sport a 9 year contract is accepted. Very strange. That being said, you will love Simmonds, though anyone who thinks he will be a top 6 forward is misinformed. He's the perfect 3rd line grinder who is capable of scoring 20 if everything breaks right. Schenn is going to be a star, but that being said, his ceiling (and who he has been compared to his short career) is Michael Richards. He will be a top notch 2 way center. I like the deal for both teams but I just think fans live too much in the "what have you done for me lately" mentality. Goals will be much tougher to come by next year and while Carter had to go, my prediction is Richards will be missed a lot in the short term. He also does not need to be a leader on a young Kings team that is loaded with leaders and already have an established locker room.— Kris R
- While he played a role - he did not "carry" the team to the cup finals. In fact, he captained a team that was largely lethargic during that season, and if not for a Ranger shootout miss, would not even have had that magical post season. Other players- Pronger, Briere, Giroux carried just as much, if not more, of the load. And that is the point of the trades. Richards and Carter were traded because they were expendable, and led us to players that will surpass them in the near future (Schenn, Courterier) and players we need now (Big wingers to complement our depth in center, and a goaltender). — gob1234
- gob - so true. While Richards is a good player, he'll never be great. We got some good players back and I feel we made out better in the end. Time will tell, but for this year, the move will pay off for both teams. Long run, we got the better. But that is usually why you make these deals.
— azguz 
Comment removed.
Translation: No one cares about the Kings..except when they wear throwback uni's.- Kris - no doubt Richards had a nice playoff run two years ago but you are delusional if you think he carried them.— JohnnyThunderCak
After watching both Carter and Richards especially over the last three seasons, I think this change needed to happen for all parties (no pun intended on the party comment). Richie and Carts both played uninspired, stale hockey on too many occasions. They will both play better in their new homes because of the change. Our boys get some much needed fire in this group of young guys and the draft pick will be a star.... watch.- Flyers reached the finals because of Briere and Leino,.....period.— SyddBarrett
- Sure, if you ignore the fact that a hit--yes, a hit--from Richards is what turned around the Boston series in '10. Or if you ignore the ways in which he simply dominated the Habs. Or if you ignore the fact that he habitually faced the other team's top players and removed them from the equation. Mike Richards was an invaluable player whose presence allowed Giroux, Briere, and Gags to focus on scoring those big goals. Don't kid yourself. Without Mike Richards, there would have been no Cup run in '10. Listen to the way that the players--not the Philly press--describes Richards. You'll never hear them say anything but positive things about Richards, whether they're speaking publicly or anonymously. — Mike P
- ...Philly fans are brainwashed, that's for sure — petemagoop
- Sydd, wish you were here, I agree. I think homes gets an A+ and Bryz ia a top 5 goalie. Look at his stats and where he played. Plus with speaking Russian to Bob, Bobs game will improve greatly. He will not only act as his translator(the reason for such a high contract) but mentor. He will help get ris of Bob's weakness's that appeared later in the season. Then we will have two great goalies and if need be trade Bob for a stud.
People do seem to forget that the twins were the ones who under performed and got Stevens fired. They also had bad relationships with the new coach, Promger, Briere, Timonin etc
They were hockeys Allen Iversen with our the guns. besides allot more hopping bars in LA.— GO_FLYERS - Stevens just seems like a nice guy. If you ever played hockey he would be a coach I would love to play for. Lavy on the other hand has a one -two yr shelflife max before he totally pisses every player off to the point where they tune him and he gets fired.— BringBackTheGuffaw
- Richards is going to thrive in LA, away from inept media and an ugly fan base.— MissMolly
