It was announced Thursday morning that former Los Angeles Kings forward and ex-Flyers captain Mike Richards was charged with possession of controlled substance by Manitoba police.
Mike Richards charged for Possession of Controlled Substance while entering Canada. To appear in court Sep10/15. No further updates #rcmpmb
— RCMP Manitoba (@rcmpmb) August 27, 2015
Mike Richards Charged With Possession of Drugs
As said in the tweet posted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of Manitoba, Richards will appear in court on September 10th.
Richards has participated in 10 NHL seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings, where he has recorded 179 goals and 303 assists for a total of 482 points in 710 games. After being traded from the Flyers to the Kings in 2011, Richards went on to winning two Stanley Cup Championships.
After a relatively disappointing regular season performance in by Richards in 2015, the Kings decided to put him on waivers where he would later be sent down to the Manchester Monarchs. His numbers were no better in the AHL, however, as he only posted 3 goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 16 games. When learning about his situation with Manitoba police, the Kings terminated Richards contract, claiming the situation was “a material breach of the requirements of his standard player’s contract.”
Earlier this month, the NHL Players Association announced that it would work with Richards in contesting his contract termination by the Kings organization. There hasn’t been a date set for the official hearing, however according to LA Times, the impartial arbitrator of the case will be George Nicolau.
Mike Richards is currently considered to be an Unrestricted Free Agent, however his future in the NHL is unknown. A reason which warranted Richards demotion was his lack of training and conditioning, which is an essential aspect to an athletes professional stint in any league. Richards will have to show an extreme amount of hard work and determination if he wants to be welcomed with open arms in the NHL.
