You probably remember the photo of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter grinning like kids, hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2012. They weren't in Philadelphia orange. They were in Los Angeles black and silver. For Flyers fans, it was a gut punch. For the rest of the league, it was the moment Mike Richards cemented himself as a winner, regardless of the jersey.
But then, things got weird. Really weird.
Most people look at the end of Mike Richards’ time in the NHL and see a sudden, confusing collapse. They see the contract termination, the border incident, and the quiet exit from the game. Honestly, though? The story is way more layered than just a "downfall." It’s about a guy who played a style of hockey that basically redlined his body until there was nothing left to give. He was a human wrecking ball who won everything there was to win before he turned 30.
Mike Richards and the "Win at All Costs" Era
Richards wasn't the biggest guy on the ice. He stood maybe 5'11" if he was wearing thick socks. But he played like he was 6'4". In Philadelphia, he was the guy. He was the captain. He was the "next Bobby Clarke." That’s a heavy tag to carry in a city that treats hockey like a religion.
He didn't just score; he demoralized people. Remember "The Shift" in 2010? It was Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Montreal. Richards leveled a guy, chased the puck down, and scored a shorthanded goal that felt like it broke the Canadiens' spirit. That was Mike Richards in a nutshell. He was a shorthanded specialist—one of the best to ever do it. He actually holds a weirdly specific record: he’s the only player in NHL history to score three 5-on-3 shorthanded goals. Think about how insane that is.
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But that style comes with a receipt. You can’t throw your body into people for 82 games a year plus playoffs and expect to feel great at 30.
The Trade That Changed Everything
When the Flyers traded Richards to the Kings in June 2011, it sent shockwaves through the league. He had nine years left on a massive 12-year, $69 million contract. People thought he’d be a Flyer for life. Instead, GM Paul Holmgren decided to blow the whole thing up, shipping Richards to LA and Carter to Columbus on the same day.
The Kings got a leader. Richards wasn't the same offensive powerhouse in LA—his points dropped from the 60s and 70s down to the 40s—but he was the "missing piece." He brought a grit that helped the Kings win their first Cup in 2012 and another in 2014.
The 2015 Border Incident and the Material Breach
This is the part that everyone asks about. In June 2015, the Kings did something almost unheard of: they terminated Richards' contract for a "material breach."
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Basically, Richards was stopped at the Emerson border crossing between North Dakota and Manitoba. The RCMP eventually charged him with possession of a controlled substance, specifically Oxycodone. At the time, he still had five years and $22 million left on his deal. The Kings used the incident as a way to wipe that massive cap hit off their books.
It was a mess. The NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) went to bat for him, filing a grievance. They argued that if a player has a substance issue, they should go through the league's assistance program, not just get fired.
The Settlement and the Long Payday
They eventually settled the whole thing in October 2015. Instead of the Kings paying him $22 million, they agreed to a structured settlement.
Here is the wild part: Mike Richards is still getting paid by the Los Angeles Kings today. He’ll be on their books until the 2031-32 season. It’s one of those "Bobby Bonilla" situations in hockey. For the next several years, the Kings are paying him varying amounts—it averages out to around $600,000 to $700,000 a year—just to not play for them.
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Why the Richards Legacy is Complicated
Some people call him a "bust" because of how it ended. That’s just wrong. Look at his trophy case. It’s actually kind of ridiculous. He’s a member of the "Triple Gold Club" (sort of). He has:
- Two Stanley Cups (2012, 2014)
- An Olympic Gold Medal (2010)
- A World Junior Gold Medal (2005)
- A Memorial Cup (2003)
- A Calder Cup (2005)
He won at every single level. He was the captain of a World Junior team that many consider the greatest ever assembled. He was a core part of the 2010 Olympic team in Vancouver.
The decline wasn't just about the off-ice stuff. It was the miles. By the time he landed with the Washington Capitals for a brief 39-game stint in 2016, the speed was gone. He was only 31, but in hockey years, he was about 90. He finished his career with 487 points in 749 games. Those aren't Hall of Fame numbers, but his impact was always about the "little things" that GMs love and fans sometimes miss.
What He's Doing Now
Richards has mostly stayed out of the spotlight since retiring. He went back home to Kenora, Ontario. He spends a lot of time fishing. He’s a legend in his hometown, and honestly, he seems fine with the quiet life. He isn't on TV every night giving hot takes. He isn't coaching in the pros. He’s just Mike from Kenora.
The lesson here is pretty simple: the NHL is a brutal business. One day you’re the face of a franchise with a 12-year contract, and the next, you’re caught in a legal battle over your future.
Actionable Insights for Hockey Fans
- Don't judge a player solely by their final season. Richards' peak from 2007 to 2010 was as dominant as any two-way center in the game.
- Understand the "Cap Recapture" and Settlement world. If you see a weird $600k charge on the Kings' salary cap in 2029, now you know why.
- Value the "winner" archetypes. Analytics might not have loved Richards' late-career puck possession, but there's a reason Darryl Sutter played him in every crucial situation during those Cup runs.
If you’re looking to track how these long-term settlements affect team building, keep an eye on the Kings' cap space over the next few seasons. It’s a small hit, but in a hard-cap league, every dollar counts.