I made my argument for why Mike Richards doesn’t need to be stripped of his captaincy two weeks ago. Unfortunately, it’s a topic that refuses to die as the media continues to play the blame game for the Flyers’ lackluster finish to the 2010-11 season.
With the likelihood that the 2012 NHL Winter Classic will take place in Philadelphia, no one will benefit more from the event than Richards.
This is because of the behind-the-scenes coverage that HBO’s “24/7” program will document in the lead-up to the game.
The HBO series followed the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins this past season and collected the footage into a four-episode series. Viewers were shown what goes on in the locker room during the game, what the players and coaches do in their spare time, how players are evaluated by the coaching staff, how they prepare for and react to every game, and so on, with no censorship.
As a Flyers fan, it was interesting to see how Sidney Crosby talked to the referees and the players on the ice; I was groomed to believe he was a whining crybaby and, surprise, he’s just as foulmouthed and tough-skinned as everyone else.
Richards is under fire right now because of the perception that he couldn’t inspire his teammates to play with more heart in the waning months of the regular season or the playoffs. His quiet demeanor in front of the media hasn’t helped, as his tone and body gestures sometimes suggest he doesn’t take the losses seriously.
What Flyers fans need to see, aside from less Sam Donnellon articles, is what really goes on behind closed doors. They need to see how Richards leads his teammates when there aren’t any microphones around and how they respond to him in kind. They need to see how normal his private life is, as opposed to the non-stop bender that he and Jeff Carter are painted as being on every weekend. They need to see how he really feels about every loss, as opposed to how he responds each and every game when asked the same, “Was tonight’s loss frustrating?” question.
It’s entirely possible that “24/7” could backfire completely. Maybe I’m wrong, and he is truly a lousy leader that doesn’t deserve to be captain. Never mind that he led his juniors team to a Memorial Cup victory… and the Philadelphia Phantoms to a Calder Cup victory… and the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals less than a year ago.
Whether or not he’s still captain by then, it should be enlightening for fans to meet the real Mike Richards.
this would settle the topic