Here's part one of a four-part feature on Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, who return to the Stanley Cup Final as members of the Los Angeles Kings. Game 1 against the New Jersey Devils is 8 p.m.
Read: Part 2Part 3Part 4
NEWARK, N.J. -- Whether they're in Philadelphia or Los Angeles, some things never change.
Due at 2:30 p.m. for their 30-minute appearance at Prudential Center a day before the start of the Stanley Cup Final, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter showed up at 2:50 p.m. as the media contingent had thinned out considerably, albeit a gaggle of reporters from Philadelphia still remained.
This much, however, has changed: Both players seem genuinely happy in L.A. and have put the past behind them.
Win or lose this Cup Final to the New Jersey Devils, Richards said it doesnt change his perspective that this wasnt such a bad move.
We were pretty mad, Richards said of the trade last summer that rocked the Flyers foundation.
NHL
I'm not going to lie. It's something that I never had before. I'd never been traded. Jeff never had been traded.
For us to be traded at the same time, I think there was a lot of venting to each other. But everything happens for a reason and if this was the path that was intended for us, then great."
The Flyers changed the face of their franchise on June 23. Carter and Richards were dealt within an hours of each other during a blockbuster afternoon that rocked Philadelphia and ended with the acquisition of Ilya Bryzgalov.
Carter needed some time before he reported to the Blue Jackets, who later traded him to the Kings.
It took a little bit of time -- just the shock of being traded, going to a team that you really don't know too many people and having to get to know them not only on the ice, but off the ice. It was frustrating," Richards said.
It was something that I really never had to deal with before. It was new to me and I don't handle change too well, so I think that was an adjustment. But once I got to L.A., I think everything fell into place.
Not quickly, though. Another ex-Flyer, Simon Gagne, said when Richards arrived in L.A., he was angry.
You could see it, Gagne said. I had a chance to go through it the year before when I got traded to Tampa.
Basically, what he was going through was similar stuff. I tried to talk to him a couple times. At the same time, he's old enough and he's the type of guy that likes to figure it out on his own.
Initially, Richards blamed the Philadelphia media, for the trade. By the fall, however, he admitted on TSN that he learned a valuable lesson in treating the media better.
Every experience you have makes you better, said ex-Flyers coach and current Kings assistant John Stevens.
Clearly, Mikes time in Philadelphia as captain and dealing with the media every day has made him a better player and better leader on our team. I have seen him gradually get more comfortable in his role on our team.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net
