radoran Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 @JackStrawhey, jack. i dunno. i was in the middle of typing a response about corsi to someone in like january, and suddenly realized i didn't care. kind of stopped being a hockey fan for a while. got married, watched game of thrones on game nights, forgot to set FHL line ups. it was weirdly nice, to be honest. draft day comes, though, and then this richards stuff, and I'm back. Welcome back, mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 let's revisit dry island for some possible perspective. Ha....beat me to it. It's really sad what has become of Richards. I do think some of the drop off in play comes from the two injured shoulders, which I don't think ever returned to 100% after his surgeries. Mike played a gritty, physical game, until he couldn't anymore. I think it's safe to conclude that LA did not go into this move without any back up. I'm positive they have documented times, days, bars that were visited, etc, etc....if you make this kinda extreme move, you can bet they did not go in all half cocked. Without really knowing Mike, I have contended that Mike was an alcoholic for some time now. A tough call without really knowing the guy, but I just knew was more than chasing tail and having a good time. The dry island thing took care of that part of the equation. It affected his job, his standing with the league, his reputation....that is more than just a "party" situation. He's gonna have to look at himself in the mirror and admit he has a problem....1st thing that has to get done here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 @aziz Welcome back bro, was not the same without you!! Totally understand about getting bored and the game getting stale. Our team sucks, which did not help, but sometimes, if you're not having fun anymore, you have to step back and pursue other interests. I've been in the same boat a few times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlaskaFlyerFan Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 got marriedI just shivered a little when I read that! Congrats and welcome back!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radoran Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 @aziz Welcome back bro, was not the same without you!! Totally understand about getting bored and the game getting stale. Our team sucks, which did not help, but sometimes, if you're not having fun anymore, you have to step back and pursue other interests. I've been in the same boat a few times.I've absolutely taken time off before and it does help to put things into perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 let's revisit dry island for some possible perspective. richards was for a moment an 80 point player and one of the more dynamic two way centers in the league. then his play started to get vague, his contribution sporadic. he was accused by flyers' staff of mid-season (mid-playoffs? don't remember if that was also on the table) late night shenanigans, asked publicly to calm it down and focus on the team/game, and supposedly refused to do so. his numbers and effectiveness with the flyers slid a little, and he was traded to LA. his slide continued, now precipitously. LA shuffles him off to the A, where he does ok-ish. management approaches him and says, "hey, get yourself under control, and you can come out of time-out.". and they try. but there's nothing there. 16 points in 2/3rds of a season. what if mike richards' decline has nothing to do with age or a body worn out from in-game abuse, and everything to do with, well, an obsession other than hockey? what if the whole "dry island" thing wasn't stevens and the flyers being puritanical weirdos, but the first red flag for a guy who can't get himself to care more about his job than getting lit nightly? in short, what if the talk lombardi had with richards was "hey, no more drinking the night before games, and show up to practice sober and ready to work", and they just found proof he was getting tanked on the regular? we might not see richards or the NHLPA fight this at all, lest the details come out. i have a tough time seeing the kings throwing this down if they thought it would be a long and drawn out fight. if the conversation was "no more drinking" and they found a pile of bar receipts, that would fit the bill the kings are advertising. i think most of us know your body will let you get away with things at 24 that it just won't at all at 30. and we know he's had problems along those lines before. Welcome back @aziz! As many have stated...we missed you around thes parts. Yeah I agree this Richards thing is gonna get real dicey. I don't think the Kings would do something like this unless they had, as had been mentioned, they had rock solid proof. Congrats on getting married! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlaskaFlyerFan Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I have a feeling there is more to this than just drinking. The Kings knew before Friday that Richie was a drinker. It has to be more serious than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 @AlaskaFlyerFan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 @JackStrawhey, jack. i dunno. i was in the middle of typing a response about corsi to someone in like january, and suddenly realized i didn't care. kind of stopped being a hockey fan for a while. got married, watched game of thrones on game nights, forgot to set FHL line ups. it was weirdly nice, to be honest. draft day comes, though, and then this richards stuff, and I'm back. Glad you're back. You've been missed. Terrific post about Richards, too. A very sober (no pun intended, but added bonus) post and I think probably very close to the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 @AlaskaFlyerFan heh...i take it those are NOT ice shavings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 @aziz Congrats aziz! Don't let that married life ruin your hockey fix. missed ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 heh...i take it those are NOT ice shavings? Well, Grant Fuhr tried to pass them off as that..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxpin Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Well, Grant Fuhr tried to pass them off as that.....Scalp psoriasis can be a bitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Scalp psoriasis can be a bitch Dandruff also.....ha ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStraw Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 This is worth a listen, TSN radio interview with a legal analyst who a) sounds pretty knowledgable and b) actually knows (but can not discuss) what Richards did that led to this. Short version is that he thinks it will be very difficult for the Kings (and the league) to make this stick. He says that there is an extensive history (mostly in MLB) of teams attempting to do this and it only worked once, when a player choked his GM (Ed Wade). He says Donald Fehr has a lot of experience with this from his time in MLB and he thinks the NHLPA will be very reluctant to just let this go through.http://www.tsn.ca/radio/ottawa-1200/macramalla-termination-of-richards-will-be-tough-for-kings-1.321374 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 @JackStraw Thanks for posting that audio link jack....that *certainly* puts things into a different perspective. What I got out of that interview is the Kings are basically making this move out of pure desperation. The guy being interviewed cited many, many cases that failed when this type of clause was attempted to sever ties with a player. It did not work when guys were convicted of importing cocaine, all types of drug offenses, etc...and Mike was not even charged with anything. I remember the Uwe Krupp case, when he was clearly dog sledding with an injured back....and that case was eventually won by the NHLPA. This move is just a shot in the dark, a desperate attempt to throw stuff at the wall and see if it sticks. My initial thought was, the Kings would not have tried this if they did not have the documented accounts of what they need to succeed. Now I see it as failing before it even started...in fact, I don't know why the Kings even bothered, cause they have less than 1% chance of winning. It does however, tell the rest of the league to stay away...far away from Mike....and maybe that was the intention all along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 However, an off-ice incident scuttled those trade talks, while setting the stage for today's termination. Here's Katie Strang of ESPN: Several sources told ESPN.com the Kings were made aware of the situation Friday, approximately an hour after the first round of the 2015 NHL draft had begun. The team was already in the process of trying to trade him -- discussions were in place with both the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames -- but Kings general manager Dean Lombardi immediately informed both teams upon learning about the situation that he had no prior knowledge of the incident and halted those talks, according to a source. Strang goes on to mention that Lombardi personally informed both Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli and Flames GM Brad Treliving of the situation, ending any possibility of a trade. http://www.jewelsfromthecrown.com/2015/6/29/8865059/mike-richards-trade-discussions-oilers-flames-contract-terminated-incident Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyS Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 They are citing "breach of contract." Seems like it would have to be something pretty major to warrant that. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/la-kings-terminate-mike-richards-contract-breach-192624629--nhl.html Hard to imagine that such a move would hold up. I sincerely hope Richards is OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 They are citing "breach of contract." Seems like it would have to be something pretty major to warrant that. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/la-kings-terminate-mike-richards-contract-breach-192624629--nhl.html Hard to imagine that such a move would hold up. I sincerely hope Richards is OK. John Buccigross @Buccigross 6h6 hours agoJust heard first bit of Mike Richards info...wowzer if true. Stay tuned. Eric Macramalla @EricOnSportsLawInvolved issue at border. Doesn't sound good i guess we'll find out more soon........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 drug trafficking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJgoal Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 He grabbed a male customs offical's posterior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStraw Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 drug trafficking? If they caught him crossing the border with some weed I have a hard time believing that would hold up. On the other hand, if he's running guns to a Mexican drug cartel, that would be different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Some more speculation.... https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/3bk7mk/incident_may_have_caused_la_kings_to_terminate/ Apparently, Alex Burrows knows what is up.....LOL! https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/did-alex-burrows-taunt-mike-richards-recreational-drug-012921867.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyS Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Maybe the whole "dry island" thing was more serious than we thought? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyS Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 John Buccigross @Buccigross 6h6 hours agoJust heard first bit of Mike Richards info...wowzer if true. Stay tuned. Eric Macramalla @EricOnSportsLawInvolved issue at border. Doesn't sound good i guess we'll find out more soon........ I replied to that tweet earlier today. Didn't see that he has followed it up yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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