Blackhawks' Richards On Doing Dirty Work: 'I'm A Monster'
(CBS) In his own words, new Blackhawks center Brad Richards says, "I hate scouting myself."
He will offer this up, though, when asked if he's willing to do the dirty work for his new team that's full of stars and playmakers.
"I'm a monster," Richards said with a laugh during an interview with Matt Spiegel and Peggy Kusinski on 670 The Score on Thursday. "I get in about three fights a month. You got to play physical when the time is needed."
Already, Richards understands his role. He's likely to have the inside track at manning the second-line center spot, which could mean a lot of time with the dynamic Patrick Kane and the emerging Brandon Saad on the wings. Richards knows his role will be to get them the puck.
"I'm there to bring offense, there's no secret about that," Richards said. "That's been my whole career. I think my biggest asset is the way I see the ice, and hopefully that can fit right in with those guys."
After recently signing a one-year, $2-million deal with Chicago, the 34-year-old Richards is thankful for the opportunity that arose. He still had six years left on a nine-year, $60-million deal he signed with the Rangers in 2011, but New York bought him out of the deal in June after it fell in the Stanley Cup Final.
"The writing was on the wall probably as soon as the lockout happened, just the way the contract was structured, the risk of me retiring early and the cap hit they'd have," Richards said. "I kind of knew it was happening, but it didn't matter. It was still a good team I played on this year. We made a run and almost won it.
"Obviously, it's nice to have big contracts, and I'm very thankful for that. But it's nice to regroup and get a little bit of that pressure off you, and I can go into Chicago with guys that are used to winning … Hopefully, I can get back to having fun out there."
