EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The day the Flyers decided to change the face of their franchise, June 23, 2011, seems like a long, long time ago for Mike Richards.

Now a Los Angeles King, Richards was once the captain of the Flyers and had to play his old team early on the next season.

“Before that game, I was nervous for the first time in a while for a hockey game,” Richards said after Friday’s practice. “After that, though, you just put everything behind you. Now you’re part of a new team and obviously that year ended well, but we went through some tough times with the firing of (Terry Murray) and bringing Darryl (Sutter) in.”

Richards, 28, went on to win the Stanley Cup in his first season with the Kings. After that first game against the Flyers, he was able to put the trade behind him. Now, he looks like a relaxed player with far less stress than when he was in Philly.

 

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