I've been a fan of Mike Richards since he came into the league, and thought it was a great idea to make him the captain and lock him up long term. We've heard for years about his "Bobby Clarke-like" leaderships abilities, etc.  However, he's really starting to get on my nerves lately and I'm wondering if other folks out there agree with my assesment:

1) I'm getting tired of his crappy attitude with the media who are our l primary link to the team.  I'm sure it's annoying to be surrounded by tons of people with mics in your face after every game, but it comes with the territory.  Furthermore, it's his responsibility as the captain to be the spokesman for the team with the media.  I know everyone says he's more about leading by example on the ice as opposed to being a "rah rah" guy in the locker room, but that's a different topic.  This morning I heard Al Morganti and Keith Jones defend Richards' crabbiness with the media last night and try to spin it in a positive way since it means he's getting pissed off and ready for the playoffs.  I think that's a lame excuse.  I just think he's coming across like a typical spoiled athlete, but part of the reason I love hockey is because they're not like the pompous, arrogant athletes in other sports! Since he apparently learned a lot from Pronger at the olympics last year, maybe he should go to the Chris Pronger school of dealing with the media in a fun (yet occasionally sarcastic) manner.

2) I don't really think his play has been all that great lately either, though I'll reserve judgement since he's adjusting to playing with Versteege. If this is a guy who is supposed to lead by example, I think it's been lacking lately.  That said, if he's taking it down a notch or two to get ready for the real season which starts in a few weeks, I'm cool with that.

3) I know some people think this is meaningless, but it really does bug me that he has been shown out in public with a Yanks hat twice.  This is a guy who is the captain of a team with an incredibly loyal (as well as patient and tolerant) fanbase, and presumably most if not all of them at also Phils fans.  It's just flat out disrespectful to wear the Yanks hat, just like it was disrespectful when Iverson used to wear other teams' jerseys, etc.  For a guy who apparently goes to a bunch of Phils games and hangs out downtown quite a bit, you'd think there would be a little more common sense exercised.  And to those who say it's some sort of fashion statement, that's a load of crap. Overall, not a big deal, but it becomes more a part of the story when factoring in his crabby behavior with the media.

Thoughts???

When the season ended I was confident that the Flyers would trade either Briere or Carter given Briere's performance in the playoffs.  If there was any doubt regarding his skills, I believe they were alleviated given that he led the NHL in playoff scoring.  He scored a number of clutch goals and his line was nothing short of dominate in the finals.  In fact, if not for that line, it would have been a sweep.  However, he of course accumulated those points while playing center which was only possible because of Carter's injuries.  Of course, when Carter returned, his play at the wing left a lot to be desired and it appeared clear that he needs to be at center.  When factoring in the fact that Richards, Giroux, and Betts are the other three established centers (and none of them appear to be as effective at wing), I figured that either Briere or Carter had to go.  Apparently I was wrong since Gagne is now on Tampa, we have 8 NHL level d-men, and Leighton is still our starter. 

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