Goalie Mike Richter had 301 wins for the New York Rangers. He could have had a lot more if concussion problems hadn’t shortened his career. Richter, who played his last game in November 2002, when he was reinjured in a collision, and Patrick Roy retired in 2003, when Richter was 36 and Roy was 38.
What was often overlooked during his playing days, and even is overlooked now, is that Richter was among the many NHL players whose interest in the sport was piqued after the league expanded beyond the Original Six cities, to “non-natural” markets for major-league hockey.
Yes, at the time, that included Philadelphia.
In a story that has played out so many times over the years, USA Hockey programs offered a prodigy from the Philadelphia area chances to display his talents, both locally and nationally.
That’s one of the reasons Richter thanked the Colorado Springs-based organization Friday, when he was among the four inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame at a dinner on the floor of the University of Denver’s Magness Arena.
“So much of what I know and what I have in life comes from hockey,” he said. “The memories are countless — sometimes trivial, but all meaningful.”
Richter spoke last, after fellow inductees Brian Leetch, his former Rangers teammate and one of the prototypes for the modern hybrid defenseman; Brett Hull, the No. 3 goal scorer in NHL history; and Cammi Granato, the women’s hockey trailblazer and sister of Avalanche coach Tony Granato.
The connections among the class are almost too numerous to list, but among other things, the three men were teammates on the 1996 USA World Cup championship team and in the Olympics; plus Richter was Tony Granato’s roommate at the University of Wisconsin and with the Colorado Rangers, and met Cammi and the clan back then.
“I’ve always maintained that no athlete really ends up retiring on their own terms,” Richter said before the inductees were honored at the Avalanche-Bruins game Thursday at the Pepsi Center. “You’re eventually forced to one way or another, right? Even if you say, ‘It’s my call, I’m going to call it quits,’ the fact of the matter is if you had the body of a 25-year-old, you’d probably keep going forever.
“You know it’s going to end sometime, and it’s difficult to have someone else tell you that. But there’s no second- guessing that for me. There wasn’t an option. I expected to play three more years and re- evaluate. I thought I could probably play until 40 and make a contribution. . . .
“At the same time, you have to decide how you’re going to look at that. The career was always going to end, and I looked at it like, ‘Man, I had a fantastic opportunity to play,’ so there are no complaints on my part.”
Richter, who had left Wisconsin after two collegiate seasons, took a unique post-career path, enrolling at Yale and obtaining his degree last year.
“That was a good segue between where I was and where I was going to start going,” he said. “You’re not spinning your wheels. You’re learning and moving on, and getting training for the rest of your life. You have real life in front of you.”
Richter now is a partner in a New York private equity firm.
“I’ve always been into the environment, and we invest in sustainable companies,” he said. “My life has not been spent on Wall Street, and for me, it’s been an eye-opener, especially the last few weeks. I’m working with great integrity people, and I’m happy doing this right now. I feel like I’m learning.
“I’ll never go too far from the sport. I miss it. Right now, I’m helping coach my son and that’ll suffice for a little while.”
Spotlight on …
Devils goalie Martin Brodeur
Twelve to go.
After Martin Brodeur’s 24-save opening night in a 2-1 victory over the Islanders on Friday, the Devils goaltender is 12 victories short of tying Patrick Roy’s NHL record of 551 career victories.
Given his workhorse tendencies — Brodeur has played 155 games the past two seasons — he might break the record as soon as Thanksgiving week.
“I don’t know how I’m going to react,” Brodeur said in an NHL conference call last week. “I know I’ll be really excited. I never really broke any records at home since I’ve been playing. Every milestone I got, everything was on the road. Maybe it will be nice to do it at home if I’m able to do that.”
Primarily because of Roy’s blinkered competitiveness and pride, he likely will have to warm up to the idea of being a part of the ceremonies tied to Brodeur surpassing him, and his relationship with the NHL hasn’t always been cordial.
That said, Brodeur still acknowledges Roy’s influence on him.
“Who influenced me was Patrick Roy,” Brodeur said. “I grew up in Montreal. Patrick came in at 18 years old (and) won the Stanley Cup. He was the icon for any Canadian fan. Especially when you’re a young goalie, we all looked up to him.”
Actually, Roy played his first NHL game when he was 19 and hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time when he was 20.
The Avalanche and Devils — the former Colorado Rockies — meet in Newark, N.J., on Feb. 26. By then, Brodeur probably will be No. 1.
