Brad Richards

Bradley Ray Richards was born on May 2, 1980, in Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island, Canada. His foundational hockey career began at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, a boarding school known for its hockey program in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, where he met future teammate Vincent Lecavalier. Richards excelled in his junior career, particularly with the Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In his final season with Rimouski, he achieved numerous accolades, including the Jean Béliveau Trophy for leading the QMJHL with 186 points, the Telus Cup as the league’s best offensive player, and the QMJHL and Canadian Hockey League Plus/Minus Awards. He was also named a First-Team All-Star in both the QMJHL and the CHL, and earned titles such as CHL Player of the Year and Leading Scorer. During the post-season, Richards received the Guy Lafleur Trophy as QMJHL playoff MVP and the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as MVP of the 2000 Memorial Cup, as the Océanic secured both the QMJHL playoff title and the CHL Memorial Cup.

Richards was drafted 64th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. His professional career spanned 15 seasons, beginning with the Lightning in 2000. A pivotal moment in his career came during the 2003–04 NHL season when he helped the Lightning win their first Stanley Cup. His outstanding performance during the playoffs earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player, setting a record with seven game-winning goals. That same year, he also won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy and the World Cup of Hockey Championship with Team Canada. Richards played for the Dallas Stars from 2008 to 2011, where he recorded a career-high 91 points in the 2009–10 season. He later joined the New York Rangers in 2011 on a nine-year, $60 million contract, reuniting with former coach John Tortorella. With the Rangers, he reached the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals. In 2014, he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks and won his second Stanley Cup in 2015. His final season was with the Detroit Red Wings in 2015–16 before announcing his retirement on July 20, 2016.

Following his retirement, Richards remained involved in hockey. In December 2023, he was selected as a consultant for the St. Louis Blues. Throughout his career, he emphasized giving back to the community, organizing events like the Brad Richards PEI Celebrity Golf Classic, which supports the Children’s Wish Foundation and the Autism Society of Prince Edward Island. While playing, he rented a suite for pediatric cancer patients at Tampa Bay Lightning games and continued similar charitable work with the Children’s Medical Center’s Oncology Department in Dallas. In September 2010, he donated $500,000 to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown, PEI. He is fluent in both English and French.