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"It's just an honor to be invited to play with all these great players. I'm just going to enjoy it as much as I can." - Stephane Richer
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Richer longs for a chance
By Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com
November 23, 2003
EDMONTON -- Stephane Richer had a blast playing this
weekend for the Montreal MegaStars in the Heritage
Classic Weekend. It was tough to wipe the smile off the 37-year-old winger's face as he skated around with his teammates in Friday's practice. Saturday, the smile grew even wider as he took the outdoor ice surface for the afternoon MegaStars Game, playing before a record crowd of 56,910 fans at Commonwealth Stadium. In fact, Richer was almost unstoppable out on the ice Saturday, often combining with Guy Carbonneau and Russ Courtnall to form Montreal's most dangerous line
in an eventual 2-0 loss to the Edmonton alumni. "I think it's just going to be fun to be here," Richer said Friday as he sat between Carbonneau and Courtnall in Montreal's cramped dressing room. "It's just an honor to be invited to play with all these great players. I'm just going to enjoy it as much as I
can." Related Links
Heritage Classic on TV- on the CBC (HD simulcast), RDS/SRC (Canada)
and NHL Center Ice, HDNet (U.S.) - 4:30 ET
Alumni Game - 7:00 ET
Canadiens vs. Oilers
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Yet, in those quiet moments away from the glare of cameras, the camaraderie of former teammates and the adulation of fans, the smile faded a bit. Richer last played in the NHL in 2001-02, starting the season as a free-agent signing of the Pittsburgh Penguins before being traded to New Jersey late in the
season for his second go-round with the Lou Lamoriello-run Devils. He still burns to play at that top level. In his final season, his 16th NHL campaign, the offensively gifted native of Ripon, Quebec scored 14 goals and 14 assists in 68 games. While not the numbers Richer was used to compiling during the prime of his career, they were still good enough, he believed, to draw interest from one of the 30 NHL teams. Yet, the call has not come. After appearing in just three Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Devils at the conclusion of the 2001-02 season, a disappointed Richer returned to his home in
Quebec and turned his attention to the golf course he owns in Montpelier, Quebec. But, while he roamed the green fairways and saw to all the details that make a business successful, Richer still harbored hopes that some team with a need
for a proven offensive veteran would come calling. He did not want to end his legacy on the sour notes that ended the 2001-02 season. So, Richer continues to work out and skate in hopes that salvation will arrive. In fact, he has never stopped taking care of his body despite the lack of interest. He showed up for this weekend's events close to his playing weight and still possesses the looping
skating stride that freed him up for so many scoring chances during his NHL heyday. Playing three or four times a week with other Quebec-area retired NHLers has
also allowed him to maintain those magical hands, which were the foundation of his offensive arsenal. But, as he sat in the cramped and loud dressing room after Friday's practice, Richer reluctantly admitted that he may never get the chance to add to his NHL resume, which already features 1,054 games, 421 goals, 819 points, two Stanley Cups (Montreal '86,
New Jersey '95) and one NHL All-Star Game appearance. "Somehow, you have to start to believe it's over," said Richer in a somber voice.
It would be easier, he admits, if the NHL wasn't littered with players his age -- or older - still enjoying productive NHL seasons. Mark Messier, who played for the Oilers MegaStars, is 42 and he leads the New York Rangers in scoring. Adam Oates, at 41,
was signed last week as a free agent by the Oilers. Steve Thomas, 40, was signed by Detroit earlier this month after helping the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Finals last June.  | |
Stephane Richer last played in the NHL in 2001-02, starting the season as a free-agent signing of the Pittsburgh Penguins before being traded to New Jersey.
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Those are just a few of Richer's contemporaries that are still enjoying their days in the NHL sun. Richer can't help but notice them when he watches games from home. He is happy for those players, many of whom he called teammates during his four-team,
six-stop career. But, he is also a wee bit jealous. "That makes it hard," he says of the older-player brigade that impacts NHL games on an almost nightly basis. "But, it's a business and you have to understand that. Somehow, you have to be able to accept that." Richer is trying to come to grips with that painful reality, but it is not easy. Even the solace of playing on your very own golf course can not ease the pain of realizing your dream from childhood is no longer attainable. Well, at least all the free time away from the rigors of NHL life have allowed Richer to improve his golf game, right? Not exactly, says Richer with a half-smile. "It's not because you own the golf course that your golf game gets better," he explained. "I still have a lot of work to do now, you know. Now, my job is to pay
the bills." It's a job he enjoys and one that agrees with the free-spirited former player, but it is also obvious that he would eagerly trade it in on a moment's notice if the call offering another shot at NHL employment were to come his way.
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