Philadelphia Flyers Daily Clips- October 14, 2011 FLYERS Headlines 1. Philadelphia Inquirer- Mike Richards returning to face Flyers 2. Philadelphia Inquirer- Flyers taking fast start in stride 3. Philadelphia Daily News- Richards returns to Philly, in a Kings jersey 4.Philadelphia Daily News- Strong start for Flyers, and rookies Couturier, Read 5. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers' penalty kill tested in win over Canucks 6. CSNPhilly.com- No shortage of defense in Flyers' high-scoring win 7. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers played dumb in win over Canucks 8. CSNPhilly.com- Talbot happy to hear the Kid is all right 9. CSNPhilly.com- JVR will be keeping his mouth shut 10. Delaware County Times- IT'S ALL ABOUT RICHIE 11. Bucks County Courier- Times- Richards coming back to take a deserved bow 12. Bucks County Courier-Times- Flyers vouch for Richards' character 13. Camden Courier Post- Retooled Flyers bonding quicker than expected 14. Philadelphia Flyers- Reaching New Heights 15. Philadelphia Flyers- New Composting Initiative Arrives Los Angeles Kings Headlines (FLYERS Next Opponent) 1. NHL.com- Unburdened Richards enjoying fresh start with Kings 2. Los Angeles Times- Devils beat Kings in shootout, 2-1 NHL Headlines 1. NHL.com- Caps, Pens unite to benefit Lokomotiv families 2. NHL.com- Brodeur leaves with injury 3. NHL.com- Crosby's full involvement in practice brings optimism 4. TSN.ca- Penguins' Asham calls his actions after fight "classless" 5. ESPN.com- Derek Boogaard's brother gets plea deal 6. ESPN.com- Penguins' Chris Kunitz signs deal Flyers Articles 1. Philadelphia Inquirer- Mike Richards returning to face Flyers Marc Narducci NEWARK, N.J. - Mike Richards did his best to downplay the situation. But even in his low-key style, the anticipation of playing against the Flyers was inescapable. The center and former captain will make his first appearance against his old team when the Los Angeles Kings visit the Flyers for Saturday night's game at the Wells Fargo Center. Richards was dealt to the Kings over the summer, and Thursday's game at the Prudential Center against the New Jersey Devils was only his third with his new team.

"I try not to think about it as much as possible," Richards said after Thursday's morning skate at the Prudential Center. "It will be an exciting night once I get there." The Flyers rebuilt the team when they traded two of their cornerstones, Richards and Jeff Carter, with Carter going to Columbus. Richards' reaction? "Shock," said Richards, who had signed a 12-year, $69 million extension that took effect with the 2008-2009 season. He said the shock took a little time to wear off. "Once I got to know the [Los Angeles] area, it helped out," said Richards, who spent six seasons with the Flyers, reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 2009-2010. "I am just happy again playing." If Richards wants any advice on how to face a homecoming, he can talk to former Flyer Simon Gagne, who is his Kings teammate. Like Richards, Gagne is a former first-round draft choice of the Flyers who spent considerable time in Philadelphia. In Gagne's case, it was 10 seasons before being traded last season to Tampa Bay. He signed with the Kings this season as a free agent. "It took a while to realize I wasn't with the Flyers and was with Tampa Bay and not wearing the jersey," Gagne said. His first game back to Philadelphia wasn't easy for Gagne. "It was definitely weird walking across the locker room to the other side," Gagne said. "It was one of the toughest days in my career as a player, and I guess it is not going to be easy for Mike." Richards says it's nice to be surrounded by some familiar faces such as Gagne and Kings assistant coach John Stevens, the former Flyers head coach. No longer a team captain, Richards said it has been easy to fit in with his new teammates. "The guys in the dressing room have helped out a lot and made me feel at home," Richards said. Stevens, now in his second season as a Kings assistant, understands the significance of Richards' return to the Wells Fargo Center. "When you think of Mike Richards you think of Philadelphia, so this is certainly a big event for him and for the fans," Stevens said.

Richards made a strong debut with his new team. The Kings opened their season in Europe, beating the New York Rangers, 3-2, in overtime in Stockholm, Sweden. Richards scored a goal and assisted on the game-winner. "He has a lot of leadership and is a character player with a winning attitude," said Kings coach Terry Murray, yet another former Flyers head coach. "For the Kings he gives us more strength down the middle of the ice." Richards said he still keeps in touch with some of his former Flyers teammates. In fact, the Kings landed in New Jersey on Monday, and Richards said he went to dinner with the Flyers' Scott Hartnell. He said that he'll always have a good feeling about Flyers fans. "I enjoyed playing in front of them every night and was excited to play in front of them," he said. "And I will be excited to play in front of them on Saturday." 2. Philadelphia Inquirer- Flyers taking fast start in stride Kate Fagan No one in the Flyers locker room particularly wanted the notable details: No Flyers team has gone 4-0 to open the season since 1995, a record accomplished only eight times in franchise history. They heard the numbers anyway. "I hadn't heard that or thought about that," said Flyers coach Peter Laviolette, whose team will attempt to go 4-0 on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings. "I don't think we're that caught up in it." The Flyers have scored victories at the Boston Bruins, at the New Jersey Devils, and on Wednesday night at home against the Vancouver Canucks. The Flyers have beaten both of last season's Stanley Cup finalists (Boston and Vancouver), and on Saturday will host an emotional evening against the Kings, to whom they traded former team captain Mike Richards in June. Another former Flyer star, Simon Gagne, also plays for L.A. On Thursday, the Flyers practiced lightly, the first of two practice days before Saturday's game at the Wells Fargo Center. "We're facing a tough team on Saturday, and there will be a lot of emotion with a lot of ex-Flyers coming back, so we have to be ready for this one," said the Flyers' Danny Briere.

Briere and Laviolette talked about what Saturday's emotions might be like - both agreed Flyers fans will receive Richards well - but both also said they're focusing on the little details upon which the team must improve if it is to continue winning. "There were little areas we could have done better in our zone, clearing the pucks out, less confusion," said Briere, whose team defeated the Canucks, 5-4, after leading, 3-1. "Obviously the big factor is staying out of the [penalty] box for us." Laviolette said his team didn't need to take some of the penalties it took during Wednesday's barely-snagged victory. "The discipline, I think, has got to be tightened up as well," Laviolette said. Briere smiled when he was told the last time a Flyers team started a season 4-0. He said he couldn't get caught up thinking about it. "I still don't want to get too excited too early," Briere said. "We're going to have some ups and downs throughout the year, but it's good to start the year like that and bank some points. We saw last year how crucial it was that we were able to bank some points early in the season. So I'm happy about that." Penalty killer. Rookie Sean Couturier, 18, has proven himself adept at penalty killing. During Wednesday's win, Couturier played a total of 17 minutes, 45 seconds, of which 7:28 was spent on the penalty kill. "The plays are a lot faster, and guys can make passes through you, so you really have to use your stick smart," Couturier said. "It's fun to see that coach has confidence in me." Top notch. Comcast SportsNet's telecast of Wednesday's home opener pulled a 5.1 household rating (155,000 households), the highest regular-season Flyers telecast in CSN history. During the 2010-11 season, Flyers games averaged a 2.4 rating. 3. Philadelphia Daily News- Richards returns to Philly, in a Kings jersey Frank Seravalli NEWARK, N.J. - Mike Richards can't hide from it anymore. His whirlwind started almost 2 weeks ago with a preseason game in Las Vegas, before the Kings opened the season in Germany and Sweden. It included a 3-day stop in Maryland for practice, and it won't end until the team returns to Los Angeles on Sunday. "It's been here, there, everywhere," Richards said. "Planes, trains and automobiles." The extended travel kept Richards' mind off his long-awaited return home. Now, tomorrow night's game against the Flyers is staring him in the face.

"It sounds cliché, but I try not to think about it as much as possible," Richards said. "I've tried not to think about it." The summer's wounds are still fresh, even in October. It was apparent yesterday when he spoke, as if last night's matchup against the Devils, a 2-1 shootout loss for the Kings, was nothing more than an appetizer for the main course, an obvious look-ahead before his first game back at the Wells Fargo Center since his mind-blowing June 23 departure that sent shock waves through the NHL. "We've had other things on our mind, with the trip to Europe," Kings assistant coach John Stevens said. "But obviously, when you get to this point in the trip, it's upon us. When you think of Mike Richards, you think of Philadelphia." Richards says he has "honestly" tried not to think about what it will be like to walk past the locker room he called home for 6 years, or what it will be like to hear his name announced as a visitor instead of one of Philadelphia's own. In reality, the Flyers have been on his mind for weeks - if they even left his stream of consciousness at all. When the Kings landed in the United States last Sunday and headed to Maryland, Richards broke away from his new teammates after practice on Monday and went to hang out with his old mates in Old City. He went to dinner with Scott Hartnell and later joined up with most of the remaining players from last year's squad. Richards even stayed the night in town before rejoining the Kings. No amount of carousing will change the fact that Richards and his buddies will line up across from each other tomorrow night. Most of the Flyers, meanwhile, have moved on. Last Friday afternoon, the Kings' game in Europe was playing in their locker room in Newark while they practiced and prepared for the Devils. The Flyers barely flinched when Richards notched his first goal in a Kings uniform. Most continued to unlace their skates or unravel the tape off their shin pads. "It is not going to be easy for Mike," said Kings teammate Simon Gagne, who experienced the same emotions last year in his first game back with Tampa Bay. "The first time, it's almost [like] you are going back home. Last year, it took a while to realize I wasn't with the Flyers and not wearing the jersey. "It was one of the toughest days in my career as a player." For Richards, life now couldn't be more different. When he was traded, he swapped Old City for Manhattan Beach, Calif., where he is no more than three blocks from the beach. He has traded No. 18 for No. 10. And he has a jersey that, for the first time in 4 years, doesn't hold the weight of a "C" or an "A." That alone has alleviated a ton of pressure.

"It's fun coming to the rink again," Richards said. "You don't have to worry about anything. It's not little groups anymore, it's just one big group. They've made me feel at home right away. We've got a great group of guys here. We come to the rink every morning and we joke and tell stories. "It's a real close group, but they've welcomed me in." That doesn't mean Richards isn't one of Los Angeles' leaders. "I don't think anything has changed other than the uniform," Stevens said. "I still think he leads by example and has a way of doing things. He still taps guys subtly on the pads or he communicates in a circle in a timeout. Whether he has a letter on his jersey or not, I don't really see a big difference in the way he carries himself." Richards, 26, left the Flyers ranked eighth all-time on the points list among centers and 21st on the franchise all-time scoring list. He was the 17th captain in team history and fifth all-time with 23 shorthanded goals. Richards started his first season in LA on a line with Gagne and is now playing with Dustin Brown and Dustin Penner. Richards has a goal and an assist through the first three games. Richards said it has been easier to cope with so many changes by seeing the familiar faces of Gagne, Stevens, head coach Terry Murray and assistant GM Ron Hextall. At one point or another, all have played starring roles with the Flyers and are now with the Kings. Since they won a Calder Cup with the Phantoms in 2005, Stevens has helped mentor Richards in the league. The two kept in touch during the two seasons they spent in opposite conferences. And Stevens himself made the jump from an interesting ousting to the Kings 2 years ago. His family just settled on the West Coast this summer, though he still maintains a shore house in Sea Isle City. "He is getting adjusted to a new team, a new city, a new situation," Stevens said of Richards. "It's a big change, just geographically, with the time change and communication, there's a lot of things that go into that. Every day he has looked more and more comfortable." Comfort is relative. For Richards, the surroundings - and even the fan response - may be familiar. But the feeling, packing up after the game, will be anything but comfortable. "I was excited to play in front of the [fans] and I'm excited to play in front of them again on Saturday," Richards said. "It will be good to be back."

4. Philadelphia Daily News- Strong start for Flyers, and rookies Couturier, Read Bob Cooney FLYERS GOALIE Ilya Bryzgalov is a huge world history buff, but his knowledge of Philadelphia hockey history might not be good enough to know that a win tomorrow night against the visiting Los Angeles Kings would give the team its first 4-0 start since 1995. Actually, when informed of that fact, many players produced a shoulder shrug and an unknowing nod. "You try not to get caught up in those things too much," said forward Danny Briere. "You have to focus on the next game. I know it's a cliché, but you can't look past the next team because bad things will happen." Said coach Peter Laviolette when told of the start: "I hadn't heard that or thought about that. I don't think we're that caught up in it." Still, with the city's sports fans still reeling from the collapses of the Phillies and Eagles, and with no professional basketball anywhere in sight, open arms beckon the Flyers, with an abundance of adulation just waiting to be bestowed upon them. The three-game start, which includes Wednesday's up-and-down, 5-4 win over the defending Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks, has provided some relief in the local sports fandom, but Laviolette is not ready to issue the "all aboard the bandwagon" call. "The puck got away from us a few times through turnovers and I think a lot of that has a lot to do with the style that Vancouver plays," the coach said. "They pressure pucks an awful lot. In regards to some of the penalties, penalties that we didn't need to take, the discipline needs to be tightened up as well." The Flyers jumped early on the Canucks, only to spend nearly half of the final period killing off penalties as they incurred all five infractions called by the refs in the third. It was a desperate time. And more often than not, Laviolette leaned on a pair of rookies to get through the penalty kills against a very explosive Vancouver team. Sean Couturier, the 18-year-old first-round pick in the June draft, and Matt Read logged some serious ice time Wednesday and were instrumental in the third straight victory. "Whatever role they give me I just take the most out of it, getting opportunities and doing my best and trying to help the team," Couturier said. "I feel like I'm comfortable on the penalty kill, I've been doing it all my life." And perhaps that's why Laviolette has so much confidence in them.

Since Couturier and Read made the roster, they have been holed up together in a South Jersey hotel, driving to and from practices and games, getting to know each other on and off the ice. The cohabitation will probably end soon, as Couturier will be moving into Briere's house, just as Claude Giroux did last season. Though the hotel thing will come to an end (Read is moving into an apartment), they both believe their camaraderie will continue. "I'm glad I'm out there in those positions and I'm glad they trust me to be out there," said Read, who picked up his first NHL assist Wednesday after getting his initial goal on Saturday against New Jersey. "I have to make the best of those things and do the best that I can out there. When you're out there penalty killing, the guys who are on the power play are obviously the best guys in the world handling the puck and making plays. You have to use your head a lot more at making plays and not be afraid to block a shot or two." Or be afraid to head over the boards with a fellow rookie during crucial moments. "I'm not surprised at all how well we've played together or how much they've thrown us out there," Read said. "Sean's a great player, he has a great head on his shoulders and very smart out there. It's easy to play with him. He's easy to read off of and everything and I feel there's a little chemistry out there." A feeling Couturier shares. "We're new here so we have to talk a lot and adjust ourselves, but we're doing well and we just have to keep talking and adapting ourselves. The creativity of the plays are a lot faster and guys can make passes through you and you really have to use your stick smart." So far, so good, and another strong performance tomorrow night against the Kings could lead to the best start in a long time, whether anyone knows that bit of history or not. Slap shots Captain Chris Pronger and goalie Ilya Bryzgalov both sat out with a "maintenance day." Pronger has averaged close to 23 minutes on ice so far . . . Former captain Mike Richards will accompany the Kings to the Wells Fargo Center tomorrow night. When asked about his return, Peter Laviolette said: "I'm sure he'll be received well. I'm not sure what Mike's thinking or what he might be dealing with or going through but he was part of this organization for a long time, I'm sure he'll be received well" . . . The Flyers play eight of their next 11 at the Wells Fargo Center. 5. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers' penalty kill tested in win over Canucks Tim Panaccio It is arguably the most feared power-play unit in the National Hockey League.

The Sedin twins – Daniel and Henik – with fellow Swede Mikael Samuelsson, plus Alex Burrows and lone defenseman Alexander Edler. Seven times on Wednesday night, the Vancouver Canucks had their deadly first-unit power play out there against the Flyers. Twice, the Canucks scored. In the battle of special teams, when you’re 2 for 5 on the power play, that’s a win because it’s 40 percent accuracy versus just 71 percent penalty killing. Now here’s the rub: The usually aggressive Flyers penalty-killing units were far more cautious against Vancouver than in their previous two games against Boston and New Jersey. The reason? It’s obvious: the Canucks’ superior passing skills. In essence, the Flyers gave them too much respect, backing off for two periods. “I mean, you have to be careful with those guys,” Claude Giroux said. “You have to play smart and they’re obviously pretty good at finding both lanes. But at the end of the game, we did a great job of shutting them down and our D’s were solid.” Giroux, Max Talbot, Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen form the Flyers’ first PK unit. The second unit consists of Andreas Nodl, Matt Read, Braydon Coburn and Andrej Meszaros with Talbot often replacing one of the forwards for an extended shift. Talbot logged the most shorthanded minutes during the Flyers’ 5-4 victory Wednesday night, with 9:02 ice time. Timonen led the defense with 9:05. If you were surprised to see the Flyers back off from the Sedins – causing the Flyers to virtually get mesmerized by the Canucks’ passing – well, it happens. Vancouver is that good. “Well, you go out there with the Sedins,” Talbot replied when asked why the Flyers were tentative. “There are reasons. If you press them, they will beat you with a pass and get an open scoring chance. So you have to give them respect.” Vancouver displayed some head-swivel passing in the first period before Mikael Samuelsson scored off two assists from the Sedins. No one moves pucks faster than the Canucks with an extra man on the ice. The good news for the Flyers? Just three games into the season, Peter Laviolette’s club has already seen the most lethal power play in the league and won’t see it again unless they meet in the Stanley Cup Final.

Laviolette suggested there were a lot of things to digest off the tape that should help the Flyers’ PK units down the road against other clubs. Talbot ranked the Sedins as the best “1-2” power play combination in the NHL. He also said to win five times was a minor victory for the Flyers. The hard part, he said, was that Vancouver was so good with its passes that if you made a move toward, say, Burrows, the puck was already gone off his stick to one of the Sedins. By then, it was too late. Vancouver’s passing was so crisp, even goalie Ilya Bryzgalov was twice caught on one side the net with the shot coming from the other almost instantaneously. The Flyers had to kill off five penalties in the third period. Vancouver scored once. Yet by then, the Flyers seemed to be a bit more aggressive in pinching from the sides and applying pressure up high. “It depends on the situation,” Laviolette said about being more aggressive. “Once we got a couple looks at it, we understood it a little bit better as to when we could go [press] and when we couldn’t go. “I don’t think you can just attack randomly. It’s got to be at the right times. There were some adjustments made based on what we were seeing and they were doing. I thought the penalty killers stuck with it and did a good job. “[Vancouver] is a talented group that moves around a lot. There are seams that needed to be covered and some of them opened up and were exposed early. When that happens, you hope it doesn’t happen again. We did a better job covering those seams.” Initially, the seams were clean shots from the high slot and point, not to mention a couple on the outer edges of the circles closest to the net. By the third period when the Flyers got themselves in trouble with penalties, their penalty-killing units had covered the seams better, blocked more shots, and picked up the open man. “When you’re on the penalty kill and the other team moves the puck that well and has full control and they’re set up, for the most part, it plays into their hands if you are overly aggressive,” said Braydon Coburn, who is on the second unit PK. “You want to bait them into some sort of mistake where you can jump them. Then start applying your pressure and get them to run around a bit. But when those guys have full control, it’s a lot tougher to be more aggressive.”

On Saturday, the Flyers host Los Angeles, whose power play has all of the Kings’ top guns on it – Anze Kopitar, ex-Flyer Mike Richards, Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty. L.A. is actually ranked higher in power play efficiency (28.6 percent) than Vancouver but that’s because the Kings have had just seven power play opportunities (two goals) in only two games played. Laviolette would prefer to roll four lines and not have so many of his players sitting on the bench late in games because the penalty-kill unit is being taxed. Talbot said the one benefit of all this shorthanded work is, “We’re gonna be better at it, by being shorthanded so much,” he said. “But at the same time, you don’t want to be shorthanded.” If nothing else, the Flyers already seem used to it. 6. CSNPhilly.com- No shortage of defense in Flyers' high-scoring win Tim Panaccio You win a game 5-4 and the temptation is to say you didn’t play well defensively. Well, that’s not entirely accurate because the Flyers did block 27 shots against Vancouver on Wednesday. Kimmo Timonen led the way with seven blocks. Max Talbot blocked five and Claude Giroux blocked four. That is the most shots blocked the Flyers have had since Jan. 25, 2011 vs. Montreal (31). The streak Ilya Bryzgalov’s shutout streak was at 126:53 when Mikael Samuelsson scored Wednesday, spanning back to 9:42 of the first period against Boston last Thursday. Ice time Sean Couturier played 7:28 of his 17:45 on the penalty kill tonight. Talbot contributed 9:02, more than half his 16:12 of ice time, on the kill. Right read Matt Read had an assist, four hits, two blocked shots and won both faceoffs he took. 7. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers played dumb in win over Canucks Jay Greenberg

The Canucks played dumb and the Flyers played dumber. The only thing more stupid than four Vancouver penalties in the first period that staked the Flyers to a 2-0 lead in their home opener were five in the third by Philadelphia that begged for an overtime or worse. So probably the most brainless act of all would be praising the Flyers’ survival skills, not when they played Wednesday night with a death wish. Their penalty killers survived the Sedin twins, 5-4, to get the Flyers to 3-0. (See story.) But the Flyers' fast start will dissipate quickly if they aren’t any stronger along the boards, or any better organized in their own end, or any smarter about how to play with a lead. James van Riemsdyk’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, when he shouted an expletive after being stopped by Roberto Luongo and the referee thought it was aimed at him for missing a hook on the way in, was the only one taken by the Flyers that was remotely defensible. And that included the two by Scott Hartnell in the first period that started Vancouver back into the game. Zac Rinaldo threw a forearm at Aaron Volpatti after the Canuck had already lost his balance along the boards and was out of the play. Jaromir Jagr, who appeared to run out of gas in the third period, committed a lazy neutral-zone hook. And Jakub Voracek (shove) and Chris Pronger (whack) took penalties that sent Canucks headfirst into the boards and will always be called in a league more than ever head-hunting the headhunters. Pronger, who looked dead on his feet at times himself, ended up playing 23:41 and would have added another minute had he not been in the penalty box. No way to have to use your most important player, who participated in just one exhibition game coming off back surgery. “We don’t play again until Saturday and the two points count as much now as later,” said Coach Peter Laviolette. “And I would say the answer to that is just to not take the penalties.” 8. CSNPhilly.com- Talbot happy to hear the Kid is all right Tim Panaccio Max Talbot was happy to hear that his good friend and former teammate Sidney Crosby had been cleared for full contact. “Great news,” Talbot said. No one wants to see the best player in the world sidelined with post-concussion syndrome.

The Penguins' star centerman wore a black helmet like the rest of his teammates in Pittsburgh today during a morning skate prior to tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals. The 24-year-old had been wearing a white helmet during workouts to indicate he wasn’t to be touched. “This is a good step in the right direction and we’ll see how it goes the next little bit,” he said. At some point, he needs to take a hit. How would like to be the Penguin who is going to be asked to hit Sid? “I have to get hit at some point during practice but we’re playing so much it’s hard to get that right now,” Crosby said. Pens coach Dan Bylsma didn’t seem worried. “Sid’s the type of player that he instigates contact,” Bylsma said. “He’ll do something that will warrant that from a player. He’ll go out and do something. “I think every training camp when Sid’s been healthy he’s always ended up in some kind of jostling where the ire’s gotten up on both guys and that’ll happen again because of the way Sidney competes.” The Associated Press contributed to this story. 9. CSNPhilly.com- JVR will be keeping his mouth shut Tim Panaccio James van Riemsdyk took a really dumb penalty in Wednesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks and it ended up costing the Flyers. Early in the third period, JVR had just muffed a scoring chance and out of frustration, apparently said something to the official to draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Those kind of calls usually go to Scott Hartnell, not JVR. Vancouver tied the game on its lethal power play with Daniel Sedin scoring, to make it 4-4. That set up the Flyers' “survival-mode" finish. So what did JVR say to the referee? “There was a little bit of a misunderstanding,” JVR said. “I shouldn’t have put myself in that kind of situation. It was stupid.

“I am glad we were able to win the game because that was a dumb, dumb penalty and that will come back to haunt you later in the year. I am going to keep my mouth shut from here on out.” Sometimes, players say things aloud about themselves and an official overhears it and mistakenly assumes the player was talking to him. “We won’t get into that,” JVR said. “It was misinterpreted. He thought I was talking to him and that wasn’t what I was doing.” 10. Delaware County Times- IT'S ALL ABOUT RICHIE Anthony San Filippo Skipped Flyers practice today... Instead, I made that wonderful commute to Newark, N.J. - the plan? Talk to Mike Richards. I have a story coming on him very soon (it'll be in tomorrow's papers but we'll give you a sneak peak in a bit), but I wanted to share some quotes with you about the former captain. I spoke with Simon Gagne, Richards himself and Kings assistant coach John Stevens. I also have some quotes here courtesy of Wayne Fish of the Bucks County Courier, who was in Voorhees, N.J. talking Richards with the Flyers. For the record, Mike didn't want to get into to many details from his past - which I understood. So, his comments are rather plain. Here are all the Q and A's.... full story to come: MATT CARLE >The guys in here defend Richards, said he was a good team player. . . “He was a guy who wore a letter and guys looked up to him. They listened to what he had to say when he spoke. It wasn’t too often that he would step up and say something but when he did, it meant something. “So I’m sure it will be an emotional game for him. He started his career here and he was the face of the organization. It will be an emotional game for him but it will be just like any other game for us. It’s something more for the fans and the media and stuff.’’

>You’ve been traded. Sometimes it’s good to get a fresh start, might change a guy’s career, right? “Absolutely. In going through it twice myself, it is sometimes a blessing in disguise. Time will tell on both sides how that plays out but it’s one of those things that’s always bittersweet. You don’t wish it upon anybody. When it happens, you feel bad for the parties involved. I’m sure it’s the same for management and the people that are making those decisions. It’s not an easy decision to make, to trade somebody. “A lot of the fans don’t realize you’re uprooting your family and your life. But at the same time, it’s what we do. I think everyone understands that.’’ >Are expectations a little less after you’ve been traded? There’s always that initial hype for players drafted. On the second team, players seem to operate in a less demanding environment… “I guess, again, time will tell. We watched that first game (Kings vs. Rangers in Stockholm), he was playing top minutes and he’s not a guy who’s going to fly under the radar. He’s a top echelon player in this league. Any team he’s playing, he’s going to be facing their best defensive pairs.’’ >Expect a good reception for him? “Yeah, I think the fans recognize the work that he put in and what he did every night on the ice. He sacrificed his body, great two-way player, blocked shots, fighting, hitting. . .he really led by example for us.’’ DANNY BRIERE >What do you expect on Saturday? “We’re facing a tough team, there’s going to be a lot of emotion with a lot of ex-Flyers coming back. We’ll have to be ready for this one.’’ >What about Richards, what’s going through his mind? “Yeah, I think it’s going to be mixed feelings for him. He’ll never forget the good times that he’s had here but at the same time, he’s moving on and I’m sure he wants to start something special in LA as well. “It will be very weird as the fans respond nice to him. Everything. . .the way he’s played the game, on the ice especially, I don’t think the fans have anything to complain about.’’ >You’ve moved in this league; is there a natural tendency to want to show the previous team they were wrong. . .extra motivation?

“You go back and you want to prove they made a mistake. I think every competitive hockey player – and we all know Mike is – plays with a little bit of an edge when you’re back in that situation.’’ >Did you have that feeling the first time you went back to Buffalo? “When I went back to Buffalo, when I played Phoenix. . .I think it’s totally normal.’’ JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK >You and Richards are part of that first-round draft pick fraternity. What did he impart on you? “Just his presence in general was good. On and off the ice, he made me feel real comfortable here. Obviously, he’s a pretty laid-back guy off the ice. Maybe he keeps to himself a little bit. But he’s a guy you definitely look up to you when you come into the league. He’s had a lot of success in his years here. He’s a great teammate and a great friend, so obviously we were sad to see him go.’’ >Briere said there’s extra motivation for a traded player to prove his old team wrong. . . “I’m sure he wasn’t expecting it to happen, so maybe that puts a little more salt in the wound. I know he loved playing here. I don’t think necessarily he wanted to leave. It makes it tough to leave. Coming back, I’m sure he wants to make a point.’’ >Was it overstated that the room was divided and Richards was in the middle of all of it? “I don’t know where that came from. Both Jeff (Carter) and Mike were key members of what we did on the ice and off. As far as getting the guys together, I know that even after I got drafted and before I made the team, I spent my summers here. They went out of their way to make me feel really comfortable. ‘Do you want to go to a ballgame?’ or whatever. I can’t say enough good things about those guys.’’ PETER LAVIOLETTE >You know what it’s like to go back to a place you’ve called home for years. What do you expect it will be like for Mike to come back here Saturday? Will he be received well? “I’m sure he will. I’m not sure what Mike’s thinking or what he might be going through. He’s been a part of this organization for a long time and I’m sure he will be received well.’’ >What are your lasting impressions of him?

“I wasn’t here for that much of his tenure. What stands out for me the most is that he was a captain of a team that went to the Finals and almost won the Cup. The players that were here that year were close.’’ PAUL HOLMGREN >JVR said Richards helped him a lot when he first got here. There seem to be a lot of good things about Mike that maybe people aren’t aware of. . . “Way more. Mike was a great player for our organization for six –plus years. He did everything we asked . . . maybe he got painted with the wrong brush there. He was a good player. When we made the trade, we thought we were making a good trade that would work out well for us. Probably will work out well for Los Angeles. He’s still one of the top young players in the game. Two-way guy, quality character. Tough. LA made a good deal and we think we made a good deal. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had a great year and LA goes on to do great things.’’ >How difficult was it to make that trade? “For our organization, that was huge (decision) to make both those trades. They were something we thought we needed now and in the future. I still believe they are good hockey trades and we will benefit from them down the road. That doesn’t mean those guys aren’t going to do good things for the teams they are with now. I hope they do.’’ SIMON GAGNE What is Saturday going to be like for Mike? “It’s not easy. For me this year will be easier to go back to Philly. For the first time, it’s almost like going home. Just driving by the rink and driving through the city brings you back to the past and brings back a lot of good memories. It’s hard. Mike played there quite awhile. It’s going to be tough and it’s going to take time to adjust. On my side last year it took me a while to realize I wasn’t playing for the Flyers and that I was with Tampa Bay, wearing that jersey was definitely weird. Then, walking across to the locker room on the other side was definitely one of the toughest days in my career. It’s not going to be easier for Mike. We’ll try to help him with that but he’s strong enough mentally to get through it. Other than that it will be fun for him to go back and see some friends. We have two days there, which is something I didn’t have last year because we had back-to-back games there. I don’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing to just go there, play and get out of town, but it’s not an easy thing to do.” Have you had the chance to talk about it at all? “Not really. I’m the type of guy that if you want to ask me I’m willing to talk, but I think he’s old enough now and mature enough that he’s really strong mentally. I’m sure he’s really prepared himself for this moment and is going to be ready for it.”

Was it an easier transition for him coming to L.A. because of so many familiar faces? “Maybe. Personally, I think it was easier to come to Los Angeles this year than it was going to Tampa because I know guys like Mike and the coaching staff and (assistant G.M.) Ron Hextall and (G.M. Dean) Lombardi. It’s like coming to a place you are comfortable with and comfortable with the system. I guess it would be the same thing for Mike. That was the first time he was traded in the league so who knows, but I think it will help in the transition to a new team to adjust a bit quicker then going to another team and learning everything all over with new coaches and guys you’ve never played with before.” MIKE RICHARDS What’s this weekend going to be like for you? “I’m not sure. I haven’t thought about it that much, or at least tried not to as much as possible. It’s going to be exciting once I get there.” How much has having familiar faces here helped with your adjustment? “I think everyone in the dressing room has helped out. You may not notice it much being all the way on the East Coast, but the guys in this dressing room have helped me a lot to make me feel at home right away. But yeah, to have familiar faces like Johnny and Murph and Simon definitely helped out a lot, but we have a great group of guys here. We come to the rink every morning and tell jokes and stories – it’s a real close group that welcomed me in.” How important was your summer – just getting away? “This time there was a change, but not much of a change – I like to get away from hockey and get away from everything. Get my thoughts together and prepare for another season off the ice.” What was your initial reaction? “Shock.” How long did it take for that shock to go away? “A little bit – Once I got to know the area a little bit it helped out, but once I got to L.A. it was just hockey again?” Does it make it easier to not focus on going back to Philly that it came at the end of this incredibly long road trip that had you away from home for almost three weeks?

“Yeah. It’s been here, there, everywhere with planes, trains and automobiles. It’s been good though, to get away with the guys and be welcomed into their tight-knit group. It’s fun to come to the rink again. You don’t have to worry about anything. You just come to the rink and joke around with the guys. There’s not little (cliques) or anything – there’s just one big group. When you have that it makes everyone closer and you play that much harder on the ice.” Have you kept in touch with any of the guys? “I was actually in Philly Monday and went out to dinner with Hartnell. I still keep in touch through text messages and stuff. I will probably see a couple more of the guys (tonight).” What was it like playing in front of Philadelphia fans? “I enjoyed playing in front of them every night and I’m excited to play in front of them again Saturday. I tried to leave everything on the ice every night for them and I thought I did that. It’s what made it fun to go to the rink.” JOHN STEVENS What has it been like for Mike joining up with you guys and now getting ready to come back to Philly this weekend? “We’ve had other things on our mind, but at this point in the trip, the return to Philly is upon us. I’m not quite sure what the emotions are going to be for Mike or the fans but he certainly was a big part of things there. He grew up there. He was drafted there. When you think of Mike Richards you think of Philadelphia. This is certainly a big event for him and the fans. As far as for us, getting him integrated is no different than any new player trying to find his way with the team. He’s a quiet leader the way he plays the game anyway. He does some subtle things that exude leadership. I think he’s getting adjusted much like (Gagne) is or even Ethan Moreau who is a veteran player in a new city and new situation. He’s settling in with his teammates and developing new relationships and every day he seems to be more and more comfortable being here.” How much does having familiar faces here help? “It helps because it’s such a big change moving from East Coast to West Coast because of the time change and communication and stuff like that. I think it easier for a guy that doesn’t have a wife and kids and a family with schools to deal with, but it’s still a big change. I think he’s had some time now and he’s enjoying the area and it’s a great place to live – that part’s been easy. But I also think when you’re a player you have relationships with your coaches and other players and that helps you settle in. The fact that Mike has existing relationships with (coach) Terry (Murray), myself, (Hextall, Lombardi) and of course Simon – that relationship[p has been important for both guys. It helps. If a player went somewhere where he didn’t know anybody it would be a longer

adjustment phase but from our end, having a guy like Mike who we know so well and from his end having relationships already in place, it’s very helpful all the way around.” What are your expectations for Mike? “No different than they were in Philadelphia. He’s an all situations player that we count on in every critical situation both offensively and defensively. He plays on our top two lines and has a lot of responsibility and we expect leadership from him as well. I don’t think anything has changed for Mike except for his uniform.” Do you like the fact that coming home you have an extra day to catch up with Friends and the sort in town rather than it just being one night, in and out? “If you talk to anyone who spent time in Philadelphia they’d tell you it’s a great city. We’ve all thoroughly enjoyed our time there. It’s a chance for us to go back and see people we’ve grown close to and everyone relishes those opportunities. It’s a great city and everyone, including Mike, will have nothing but great things to say about the city and their fans. We’re excited to go back and spend a couple days.” Does it take some of the pressure off Mike that he doesn’t have to wear a letter on his jersey here and can just play? “I don’t think Mike changes anything whether he wears a letter or not. I still see him doing things where he subtly taps guys on the pads or he communicates in the circle during a timeout. To me that’s the Mike leads. He leads by example and with his play. So, whether he has a letter on his jersey or not, I don’t see a big difference in the way he carries himself.” 11. Bucks County Courier- Times- Richards coming back to take a deserved bow Wayne Fish Think of it as Opening Night on Broadway, with Mike Richards cast as the leading character. There will be nerves. There will be emotion. There will be bittersweet feelings throughout the cavernous arena. No doubt, there will be a tearful reception even before the entertainment begins. The 19,000 will voice their appreciation, clap and watch as Richards acknowledges his days in Philadelphia. Then they will play a game. And when the lights go down and the sweepers clean up, it will be over. There will be some closure, both for the player and the thousands who watched him so magnificently ply his trade for a half-dozen years.

When Richards boards the Los Angeles Kings bus at the end of the evening, everyone can exhale. For this is a “one night only’’ show and hopefully all will appreciate what once was. Simon Gagne, Richards’ teammate both with the Flyers and now with the Kings, predicts it will be a difficult, challenging few hours for the former Flyer captain. Gagne remembers what it was like when he returned to Philadelphia last year after more than a decade with the Flyers. “For the first time, it’s almost like going home,’’ Gagne said after the Kings’ morning skate at the Prudential Center in Newark, where the Kings played the Devils on Thursday night. “Just driving by the rink and driving through the city brings you back to the past and brings back a lot of good memories. “It’s hard. Mike played there quite awhile. It’s going to be tough and it’s going to take time to adjust.’’ Gagne had been traded to Tampa and returning to play in Philadelphia was a bit puzzling at first. “It’s not easy,’’ Gagne said. “It took me a while to realize I wasn’t playing for the Flyers and that I was with Tampa Bay; wearing that jersey was definitely weird. Then, walking across to the locker room on the other side was definitely one of the toughest days in my career. “It’s not going to be easier for Mike. We’ll try to help him with that but he’s strong enough mentally to get through it. Other than that it will be fun for him to go back and see some friends.’’ Richards started off the Kings’ phase of his career with a bang, scoring the tying goal and setting up the winner in a 3-2 overtime victory over the New York Rangers in Stockholm last week. He’s doing his best to put this homecoming out of his thoughts but it hasn’t been easy. “I haven’t thought about it that much,’’ he said, “or at least tried not to as much as possible. It’s going to be exciting once I get there.” Upon hearing of the trade back in June, Richards had expressed disappointment and even went so far as to say he would never have signed a 12-year contract if he had known he would only be around in Philadelphia a few years after it was agreed upon.

But hockey, like all pro sports, is a business and sooner or later just about everyone gets traded. It took Richards a good portion of the offseason to get his mind around that but now he seems more at peace with the turn of events. He used a summer in Canada to reset his goals. “This time there was a change, but not much of a change — I like to get away from hockey and get away from everything,’’ he said, “get my thoughts together and prepare for another season off the ice.” Richards described his initial reaction to the trade as “shock.’’ But then feelings began to soften and now that shock has worn off. There are worse places than La-La Land to wind up. Heck, he’s playing for his two old coaches, Terry Murray and John Stevens; he’s playing alongside two friends, Gagne and Justin Williams; and the front office is full of old Flyers like GM Dean Lombardi and assistant GM Ron Hextall. “Once I got to know the area a little bit it helped out,’’ Richards said. “Once I got to L.A. it was just hockey again.’’ Richards actually was back in Philadelphia on Monday night and stopped in the city to have dinner with Scott Hartnell. As for the Philly fans, none could be better, according to Richards. “I enjoyed playing in front of them every night,’’ he said, “and I’m excited to play in front of them again Saturday. I tried to leave everything on the ice every night for them and I thought I did that. It’s what made it fun to go to the rink.” There were some in Philly who suspect Richards will have an easier time of it in L.A. now that he doesn’t wear the “C.’’ But Stevens says nothing has really changed. “I don’t think Mike changes anything whether he wears a letter or not,’’ Stevens said. “I still see him doing things where he subtly taps guys on the pads or he communicates in the circle during a timeout. “To me that’s the way Mike leads. He leads by example and with his play. So, whether he has a letter on his jersey or not, I don’t see a big difference in the way he carries himself.” Those few years went by too quickly both for Richards and his Flyer followers, just as those few hours will be fleeting on Saturday night. When the curtain comes down, it will be time to move on. 12. Bucks County Courier-Times- Flyers vouch for Richards' character

Wayne Fish VOORHEES, N.J. — Maybe if they were 0-3 instead of 3-0, the Flyers might be second-guessing themselves a bit on the Mike Richards trade. But since they have a chance to go 4-0 on Saturday for the first time since 1995, it sounds like it’s going to be all hugs and backslaps when their former captain and the rest of the Los Angeles Kings show up at the Wells Fargo Center. To this day, the Flyers are sticking to their story that the controversial deal (in which they acquired Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn) last June was mostly due to salary cap considerations and an eye toward perhaps a bigger, younger, faster team in the future. Forget all the other rumor and innuendo that dogged Richards his last couple years in Philly. The Flyers have nothing but fond memories and respect for their ex-teammate. James van Riemsdyk, for instance, will be happy to give a ringing endorsement, both for Richards and another traded player, Jeff Carter. “As far as getting the guys together, I know that even after I got drafted and before I made the team, I spent my summers here,’’ van Riemsdyk recalled Thursday at the Skate Zone. “They went out of their way to make me feel really comfortable. (They would say) ‘Do you want to go to a ballgame?’ or whatever. I can’t say enough good things about those guys.’’ Defenseman Matt Carle, a down-to-earth guy from Alaska and a player known for competing with quiet efficiency, says Richards was the consummate team player. “I think the fans recognize the work that he put in and what he did every night on the ice,’’ Carle said. “He sacrificed his body, he was a great two-way player, blocked shots, fighting, hitting . . . he really led by example for us.’’ General manager Paul Holmgren disclosed that the decision to trade Richards was not an easy one. Richards was the “face of the franchise’’ for much of his tenure here. Some thought he would spend his entire career here, a la Bob Clarke and Bill Barber. Holmgren once again dismissed the notion there were any questions about Richards’ character. “Mike was a great player for our organization for six-plus years,’’ Holmgren said. “He did everything we asked . . . maybe he got painted with the wrong brush there. He was a good player. “When we made the trade, we thought we were making a good trade that would work out well for us. (It) probably will work out well for Los Angeles. He’s still one of the top

young players in the game. Two-way guy, quality character. Tough. L.A. made a good deal and we think we made a good deal. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had a great year and L.A. goes on to do great things.’’ 13. Camden Courier Post- Retooled Flyers bonding quicker than expected Randy Miller VOORHEES — Peter Laviolette blew his whistle and a morning drill was over. As Danny Briere, Jakub Voracek and others stopped to catch their breath after working on the power play the other day at practice, Max Talbot skated over to his 18-year-old penalty-kill partner to do a little teaching. Rookie Sean Couturier paid close attention as Talbot, one of the league’s top penalty killers, adamantly simulated what should be done when they’re attacked this way and that. “Max is great with me,” Couturier said. “With his experience, it’s good for my development. I learn a lot from him talking and learning what to do.” This is one example of how the Flyers are bonding. It’s been happening all through the team, much faster than a lot of outsiders expected because there’s been so much turnover from last season. Besides Ilya Bryzgalov, their new star goalie, seven the 18 skaters the Flyers have been using are new to coach Peter Laviolette’s system — veterans Jaromir Jagr, Wayne Simmonds, Andres Lilja, Voracek and Talbot, and rookies Matt Read and Couturier. Together, they’re getting results that are making people take notice that this team could turn into something special. The Flyers already have beaten the reigning Stanley Cup champs, winning their season opener in Boston 2-1 last week. They’ve taken care of last season’s other Cup finalist, besting Vancouver 5-4 Wednesday in their home opener. In between, they won 3-0 in New Jersey last weekend. Three games, three impressive wins. “We had a great training camp,” said Flyers captain and top defenseman Chris Pronger, who has four points in three games after missing most of last season with injuries. “We’re still going through the whole process of knowing where guys are going to be, read and react … That’ll come as we continue to go down the road here.” The new Flyers had a lot thrown their way during training camp by Laviolette, who utilizes an up-tempo system that takes time to master.

“For me, the details are different,” said Talbot, who signed with the Flyers this summer after six seasons in Pittsburgh. “The forecheck is different. When you come back to the zone, it’s different as well. It’s not dramatically different, but there are different details. We’re more aggressive and we play with a lot of speed.” Peter Laviolette blew his whistle and a morning drill was over. As Danny Briere, Jakub Voracek and others stopped to catch their breath after working on the power play the other day at practice, Max Talbot skated over to his 18-year-old penalty-kill partner to do a little teaching. Rookie Sean Couturier paid close attention as Talbot, one of the league’s top penalty killers, adamantly simulated what should be done when they’re attacked this way and that. “Max is great with me,” Couturier said. “With his experience, it’s good for my development. I learn a lot from him talking and learning what to do.” This is one example of how the Flyers are bonding. It’s been happening all through the team, much faster than a lot of outsiders expected because there’s been so much turnover from last season. Besides Ilya Bryzgalov, their new star goalie, seven the 18 skaters the Flyers have been using are new to coach Peter Laviolette’s system — veterans Jaromir Jagr, Wayne Simmonds, Andres Lilja, Voracek and Talbot, and rookies Matt Read and Couturier. Together, they’re getting results that are making people take notice that this team could turn into something special. The Flyers already have beaten the reigning Stanley Cup champs, winning their season opener in Boston 2-1 last week. They’ve taken care of last season’s other Cup finalist, besting Vancouver 5-4 Wednesday in their home opener. In between, they won 3-0 in New Jersey last weekend. Three games, three impressive wins. “We had a great training camp,” said Flyers captain and top defenseman Chris Pronger, who has four points in three games after missing most of last season with injuries. “We’re still going through the whole process of knowing where guys are going to be, read and react … That’ll come as we continue to go down the road here.” The new Flyers had a lot thrown their way during training camp by Laviolette, who utilizes an up-tempo system that takes time to master.

“For me, the details are different,” said Talbot, who signed with the Flyers this summer after six seasons in Pittsburgh. “The forecheck is different. When you come back to the zone, it’s different as well. It’s not dramatically different, but there are different details. We’re more aggressive and we play with a lot of speed.” 14. Philadelphia Flyers- Reaching New Heights Philadelphia Flyers PHILADELPHIA (October 13, 2011) Last night’s Flyers home opener on Comcast SportsNet delivered a 5.1 household rating (155,000 HHs), making it the highest regular season Flyers game in Comcast SportsNet’s history. Last night’s Flyers 5-4 victory was #1 in male demos with M18-49 posting a 4.93 HH rating and M25-54 a 5.04 rating. “Flyers Postgame Live” also posted strong numbers with a 2.5 HH rating (76,000 HHs). The program was also #1 in M18-49 & M25-54 demos delivering 2.73 and 2.55 ratings respectively. “Flyers Pregame Live” delivered a 1.6 HH rating (49,000 HHs) for the first home game of the season. During the 2010-11 season, Flyers games averaged a 2.4 rating on Comcast SportsNet and a 2.0 rating on The Comcast Network, a 9% and 25% increase respectively over the 2009-10 season. The Flyers return to Comcast SportsNet on Saturday, October 15 when they take on the Los Angeles Kings. The schedule is as follows: 15. Philadelphia Flyers- New Composting Initiative Arrives Philadelphia Flyers Tonight’s opening face-off at the Wells Fargo Center will start a new Flyers hockey season with new faces, a new line-up, and a new level of conservation at the 21,000-seat arena. Waste Management, in partnership with Wells Fargo Center owner, Comcast-Spectacor, and the arena’s food services vendor, Aramark, will begin collecting and composting the food waste from the Wells Fargo Center’s kitchens. “Comcast-Spectacor is committed to going green by seeking every opportunity to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible,” said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. “We are excited to be working with Waste Management and Aramark on this new initiative that will ultimately help our environment.”

“Almost 75 percent of the waste generated by commercial food operations can be composted,” said Patty Barthel, spokeswoman for Waste Management. “Food waste composting reduces waste disposal costs, conserves landfill space, and highlights the commitment Comcast-Spectacor and Aramark are making to being green.” Commercial food recycling is a lot like kitchen composting on a larger scale. Aramark’s kitchens have been equipped with special containers for food waste. These containers will be emptied into larger food waste containers that Waste Management will empty after each hockey game. Waste Management will transport the food waste to a composting center in Delaware where it will be turned into compost and organic soil products for home, farm and landscaping use. The food waste that will be composted at the Wells Fargo Center are fruit and vegetables; meat, poultry and seafood; bakery items and ingredients; coffee grounds, filters, tea bags; milk, juices and cartons without plastic spouts; dairy products; paper products; waxed paper and paperboard; and plants and cut flowers. Items that cannot be composted include plastics, metals, glass, Styrofoam, twist ties, rubber bands, wire, tape, rope, twine and grease and oil. Comcast-Spectacor’s food composting program also will help shrink the carbon footprint of the fans of the Flyers, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Wings, Philadelphia Soul and spectators attending concerts and other events at the venue. Waste Management is a seasoned veteran when it comes to helping Philadelphia sports teams and their fans reduce their carbon footprint. The company recently began working with the Pennsylvania Resource Council to recycle the bottles, cans and paper left behind by pregame tailgaters. Waste Management also supports stadium recycling and Citizens Bank Park in June helped the Phillies conduct their first ever Red Goes Green electronics recycling program. Waste Management is North America’s leading provider of environmental services. Each year Waste Management uses waste to create enough electricity to power more than one million homes and in 2010 recycled 8.5 million tons of paper, plastics, glass and metal. Comcast-Spectacor (comcast-spectacor.com) is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), the home for both teams, the Wells Fargo Center, and four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks. In addition, Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 100 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage service provider; New Era Tickets, a ticketing and marketing company for public assembly facilities; Front Row Marketing

Services, a commercial rights sales company; and Paciolan, the leading provider of venue enablement, ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions. Los Angeles Kings Articles (FLYERS Next Opponent) 1. NHL.com- Unburdened Richards enjoying fresh start with Kings Dan Rosen Mike Richards is still smiling and laughing. It's toward the end of his third round of interviews with reporters in the Kings' dressing room at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, and there is the ex-Flyers captain -- the exact same guy who could, at times, be indignant and condescending with the media in Philadelphia -- still standing in his equipment, sweat dripping after a long practice, just giddy talking hockey and the start of a new chapter in his life and career. Richards, who talked to NHL.com after a smattering of Swedish reporters walked away, can honestly assess his frame of mind now that he feels fully adjusted to life in L.A. In his mind, the burden he bore in Philadelphia didn't make the cross-country trip. In his mind, hockey is just a game again. "Yes," he says with exaggeration when asked if he's more relaxed now, because it certainly looks like he is. "It could be the lifestyle, but with Kopi, Doughty, JJ, Brown -- it's more spread out. In Philadelphia, there was always that spotlight." Richards is talking about star center Anze Kopitar, franchise defenseman Drew Doughty, fifth-year blueliner Jack Johnson, who has one of the most vibrant personalities on the team, and captain Dustin Brown. He is essentially talking about the protection he has in Los Angeles, protection he lost in Philadelphia the moment the "C" went on his sweater. "That's another thing, too, you can come in and just play hockey instead of worrying about everything else," said Richards, who returns to Philadelphia on Saturday for the first time as a visiting player. "It's nice to come in here and just focus on the games, rather than all the other stuff going on." But make no mistake about this: Richards was devastated when he got traded from Philadelphia on June 23.

He had nine seasons left on a 12-year, $69 million contract extension he signed on Dec. 13, 2007. Richards understandably thought he would be a Flyer for life. He signed to be a Flyer for life. "I think everybody in the hockey business was surprised," Kings coach Terry Murray told Sports Illustrated. Hindsight, as they say, may be 20-20, but looking back on it, the Kings were the perfect destination for Richards. The moment he arrived he had several former members of the Flyers family in his corner, most notably assistant coach John Stevens, who was the head coach of the Flyers from early in the 2006-07 season, when he took over for Ken Hitchcock, to a third of the way through the 2009-10 season, when he was fired and replaced by Peter Laviolette. Murray, Kings GM Dean Lombardi and assistant GM Ron Hextall all have deep Philadelphia ties as well. But it is Stevens with whom Richards has the greatest bond. They go back to their time together with the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2005, when Stevens was the coach and Richards one of the star players who helped the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate win the Calder Cup. "We've gone through a lot of the same things together, but he has always been there to talk," Richards said of Stevens. "We won a championship together, and you have that bond with anybody you win a championship with." Stevens was there to lend an ear shortly after Richards was traded to the Kings. He was the ideal listener because it wasn't long ago that he was feeling the same emotions of leaving Philadelphia, a place that grew to be home. "When I got a hold of him I think he was still digesting the fact that he got traded," Stevens told NHL.com. "As a kid that was drafted and grew up in Philadelphia, it was a tough time for him to go through that, as it would be for any player that gets traded for the first time, especially a guy that was a captain of the hockey team. I tried to relay to him that he was going to love it in L.A, but he was going through a gamut of emotions that day. "Words are empty until you go through the process. That had to happen for Mike." The process for Richards will not be complete until he returns to Philadelphia on Saturday to play his old team. The simple task of walking past the Flyers' dressing room at Wells Fargo Arena and turning left to enter the visiting dressing room is an obstacle still standing in Richards' way.

It'll be made easier with guys like Stevens, Murray and ex-Flyer Simon Gagne walking with him. "I went through the same process, leaving a place I was very fond of," Stevens said. "It's not easy. That's what makes Philadelphia a great place -- when players leave, it's not a happy day. But you need to remove yourself from the situation for a while, and then you look forward to the next challenge. "In Mike's case, he's excited about being with a good team and he looks like a really good fit." 2. Los Angeles Times- Devils beat Kings in shootout, 2-1 Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. — Three games into the season, Peter DoBoer and the New Jersey Devils are starting to enjoy themselves. Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise scored shootout goals and the Devils overcame a sloppy start and a seemingly minor injury to goalie Martin Brodeur in a 2-1 victory over the Kings on Thursday night. "We have to be really pleased about the start," Brodeur said after the Devils won their second consecutive game. "It's always a question mark when you have new people around. How are you going to respond? So far we have played decent." A year ago under rookie coach John MacLean, the Devils opened 0-5-2 at home and wound up missing the playoffs for the first time since 1996. They are 2-1 with DeBoer in his first season, and they won this one despite seeing Brodeur go to the bench after the first period because of a tweaked right shoulder that he said is not serious. Johan Hedberg, who replaced Brodeur at the start of the second period, made easy stops on Simon Gagne and Anze Kopitar on the Kings' shootout chances to send the Kings to their second consecutive loss. "The energy was there for a little while in the first period," Kings Coach Terry Murray said after his team played its first game in North America after opening with two in Europe. "After we got into the second and the third, I thought we hit a bit of a wall. I thought our legs left us and our energy was low." Gagne got his first goal as a King after only 1:47 of the game, and Patrik Elias tied it for the Devils later in the first period.

Hedberg was perfect in goal, finishing with 16 saves. Jonathan Quick, who was beaten on backhanders by Kovalchuk and Parise in the shootout, was outstanding in making 36 saves. "They are two highly skilled players. They made a couple of good moves and they beat me," Quick said. Quick gave the Kings a chance to get to overtime and shootout with a brilliant third period and overtime. He stopped Petr Sykora and Kovalchuk on good chances in the third period and made a late save on Elias in overtime. Brodeur was hit by a point shot by defenseman Matt Greene with roughly 8 minutes left in the period. Brodeur then stopped a rebound attempt by Trent Hunter. Brodeur, who stopped 10 of 11 shots, also fell to the ice after seemingly getting tangled with one of his defensemen. Brodeur seconds later dived across the crease and made a save with his blocker. He landed on his shoulder, causing the injury. NHL Articles 1. NHL.com- Caps, Pens unite to benefit Lokomotiv families Alan Robinson PITTSBURGH -- Evgeni Malkin knew he had to do something. As soon as the Pittsburgh Penguins' star learned about the devastating plane crash in his native Russia on Sept. 7 that killed 44 people, including most of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team of the Kontinental Hockey League, he was determined to help the families of those who lost their lives. In Washington, Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin had exactly the same thought. Both Malkin and Ovechkin have played with members of the Lokomotiv team, and knew some of their wives and family members. While both players contacted those they knew to express their sympathies -- "I told them I would be there for them," Malkin said -- they also wanted to do something for all of those involved. As a result, two of the NHL's biggest rivals, the Capitals and Penguins, will team up Thursday night during their game at Consol Energy Center to raise money for the crash victims' families. The teams will wear commemorative Lokomotiv patches on their jerseys, which will be autographed and auctioned on NHL.com. The auction will run from Oct. 13-27.

Following the Penguins' 4-2 victory over Florida on Tuesday, Malkin tweeted a picture of the bracelet, along with a message in Russian, on his newly created Twitter account. "We were born in Russia. We know these guys," Malkin said. "We (played) with these guys on teams, the national team. We need to help their families because those are (our) guys." When Malkin went to Penguins general manager Ray Shero and asked for the franchise's help in raising money, plans for the jersey auction quickly came together. "I know Alex. We talked to him," Malkin said. "We had ideas to sell jerseys Oct. 13 and do an auction." Shero said both organizations were determined to help. "We compete against each other hard on the ice, but off the ice we all are part of one big hockey family," Shero said. "Many of our players had friends on the Lokomotiv team. All of us in hockey were touched by this tragic loss. We just thought this game was a unique opportunity for our two teams to work together to raise money for the children and families of the players, coaches and staff who lost their lives." Malkin has talked in the past, even before this tragedy, of how close the Russian hockey community is. While top players are divided between the NHL and the KHL after they began their professional careers, many grew up playing alongside and against each other in youth hockey. As a result, they maintain relationships that last for decades, even when they are on opposing sides during the season. Immediately after the crash, a deeply saddened Malkin made a video urging hockey fans in Russia not to forget those who died or the families they left behind. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby knows firsthand how devastating such a crash can be -- when he was 11, Swissair Flight 111 crashed in the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia, not far from his home in Cole Harbour. All 229 passengers and crew members died. Crosby recalls how numerous families in the area rushed to the aid of the European families who lost loved ones, taking them into their homes for weeks at a time at no charge in an effort to ease their pain. "Geno knew some guys and family members and things like that that were involved with that, so we're aware of what he's doing and we're behind him 100 percent," Crosby said. "That's a great thing they're doing. We were all pretty saddened by that." Malkin, who had a goal and an assist in two games, is hoping he can play in the 7 p.m. ET game that will televised by the NHL Network.

Malkin, who had surgery to repair two torn knee ligaments in February, has missed the Penguins' last two games with an undisclosed lower-body injury. He did skate Wednesday during an optional practice, and coach Dan Bylsma did not update his status for the game. Crosby practiced, but still wore the white helmet signifying he has not been cleared for contact as he continues to mend from a concussion. Washington brings a 2-0-0 record into the first of four regular-season meetings against Pittsburgh, which is 3-0-1. The two teams have built one of the NHL's best rivalries while meeting in the 2009 Eastern Conference semifinals and the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, among other high-profile matchups in recent seasons. 2. NHL.com- Brodeur leaves with injury Dave Lozo NEWARK, N.J. -- Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur left Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Kings with an apparent right shoulder injury. The NHL's all-time leader in wins suffered the injury during a scramble that saw him dive to protect an open net. Brodeur's diving effort with about 12 minutes left in the first period was brilliant, but it clearly left him shaken. Brodeur remained in the game and stopped 10 of 11 shots, but backup Johan Hedberg took over to start the second period. Brodeur was on the bench, however, smiling and laughing with teammates while Hedberg was in net. 3. NHL.com- Crosby's full involvement in practice brings optimism Alan Robinson PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby is a full go -- at least for practice. Crosby took a long-awaited step Thursday in his concussion recovery, participating in the Pittsburgh Penguins' morning skate without limitations, and without the white no-contact helmet he has worn since the start of training camp. "Yeah, it's full contact, so it's a good step in the right direction," Crosby said following his first full-scale practice since January. "It's a big step … it's a big one and we'll see how things go." He offered up one more word to explain how he feels: "Excited." The next step: Getting cleared for games, though neither Crosby nor coach Dan Bylsma would guess when that might be. All they know is that Crosby's return is a lot closer than it was only a few days ago.

"I'm not going to give you a timetable and I'm not going to make one right now," Bylsma said. "Going through training camp, (after) where he came from, was significant and helped with that process. He's been with a line, he's been in full drills, even in some drills that had contact although he had the non-contact helmet. It's significantly different than coming back halfway through season. That helps with the situation." What doesn't help is the Penguins are playing 13 games in October, a crowded schedule that doesn't allow for much practice time. This week, for example, they're playing three games in five nights at home following only a one-day break after starting the NHL season with three games in four nights in Western Canada. Next week, they play on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. As a result, Bylsma might have to create morning skate situations where Crosby can get bumped around, jostled and treated like any other player. Even if Crosby hasn't been any other player since the day he broke into the NHL at age 18 in 2005, winning the Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal, a Hart Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy by age 22. In 2009, he became the youngest captain of a Stanley Cup winner when the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena. Last season, he was enjoying a career-best season with 32 goals and 66 points in 41 games before hard hits in successive games by the Capitals' David Steckel (Jan. 1 in the Winter Classic) and the Lightning's Victor Hedman (Jan. 5) left him with a concussion. He has been recuperating ever since, withstanding stretches in which he fought through symptoms that included headaches, dizziness and sensitivity to light and loud noise. Crosby was visibly upbeat during training camp, when he was symptom-free despite going at a 100-percent exertion rate for the first time since he was injured. Before that, he was forced to reduce some of his summertime workload when the post-concussion symptoms reoccurred. "Yeah, I've been good since around (the start of) camp," he said. "Everything's gone pretty smooth." Staying patient hasn't been a problem, Crosby said, because he has understood all along this wouldn't be a brief recovery. The concussion affected his vestibular system, the part of the brain that affects a person's balance, stability and ability to move freely. "When you've waited this long, you want to make sure you do everything right," he said. "It's exciting, if anything. I don't think it's hard to be patient at this point. I'm getting closer and I want to make sure I respond well in the next however long it is." Crosby joked he might have to instigate contact himself, given that teammates often are reluctant to hit a player who is returning from an injury.

"Usually you're a little hesitant, that's normal. … I might have to do something to get them to hit me, maybe," Crosby said. "Maybe have to bump them a little bit and get them going. (Get it as) close to a game situation as we can get it." Because Thursday's morning skate was contact-free, there weren't any noticeable changes in Crosby's routine, other than him wearing a black helmet like the rest of his teammates. He received the clearance after meeting with concussion specialist Michael "Mickey" Collins, a neuropsychologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center who has been in charge of Crosby's recovery since he was hurt. Penguins team physician Charles Burke also was required to sign off on the move. "I feel like I have more freedom to go out there and do things, for sure," Crosby said. "But today (there) really wasn't hitting, so nothing really changed." Still, given the 24-year-old Crosby's competitiveness, Bylsma doesn't think that will take long for him to start taking hits. Bylsma mentioned that Crosby and defenseman Ben Lovejoy always go all out when opposing each other during penalty kill drills in practice, for example. "He instigates contact and he'll do something that will warrant that from a player," Bylsma said. "There will be some jostling and hitting going on. Every training camp, he's always ended up in some jostling with players and that will happen because of the way Sid competes." Now, Crosby understands that even the slightest contact during practices and morning skates will be watched even more closely than before. And that he will be asked every single day if his return is imminent. However, Collins said last month there are multiple stages Crosby must go through in full-contact practices before he gets the go-ahead to play in games. What no one is currently saying is whether that means weeks more of carefully charted practicing before Crosby can play again. Crosby doesn't know what those steps are -- to him, all he must prove is that he can handle any kind of contact that's thrown at him, or he instigates, now that he's no longer the can't-be-touched skater in the white helmet. Obviously, he enjoys being back in Penguins' black. "Just get hit, see how I respond," Crosby told NHL.com when asked what he must do to prove he's ready to play again. "I'm sure there are always final tests and stuff before they clear you to play, give you that clearance, but as far as hockey-wise, it's (just get hit)." 4. TSN.ca- Penguins' Asham calls his actions after fight "classless" TSN.ca Staff with AP Files

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Arron Asham called his actions after a fight with the Washington Capitals' Jay Beagle classless and said that he just got caught up in the game. Asham knocked out Beagle with two punches during a fight in the third period of Thursday's game, and as the Capitals forward lay on the ice, Asham made a sleeping gesture with his hands while skating toward the penalty box. Beagle's faced was bloodied and he had to be helped off the ice. "It's unfortunate the way the fight ended," Asham said after the game. "I obviously want to win but I don't want to go out there and hurt anyone. My gesture after it was done - I was into the game - it was uncalled for; classless on my part. I think those guys know I'm not that kind of guy to be going off, but it was a big game, I wanted to get my bench going, and classless move on my part." The fight was Asham's 83rd in his career while it was just the first for Beagle. Capitals' captain Alex Ovechkin said that Asham was "not respectful" in fighting such an inexperienced player. Earlier in the shift, Beagle caught the ire of Asham when got his glove up on defenceman Kris Letang, knocking his helmet off. "I respect every guy that does that job, but that's bush league," NHL on TSN analyst Aaron Ward said of Asham's actions. "Your statement ends with a guy lying on the ice." TSN hockey analyst Pierre LeBrun said that the league will not further discipline Asham, citing the fact he was remorseful after the game and didn't realize how badly hurt Beagle was at the time of the incident. The Capitals won the game 3-2 in overtime. 5. ESPN.com- Derek Boogaard's brother gets plea deal Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS -- The brother of former NHL strongman Derek Boogaard pleaded guilty Thursday to a gross misdemeanor in his brother's overdose death, admitting to what his attorney called "an error of judgment" in destroying evidence in the case. Aaron Boogaard reached a plea deal in Hennepin County that lets him walk free with a stayed six-month sentence, plus probation and community service. Boogaard, 25, was charged with interfering with the scene of a death after admitting he flushed pills down the toilet after finding his brother dead in his Minneapolis apartment May 13. A felony charge against Boogaard for supplying a painkiller that contributed to his brother's death was dismissed last week.

Derek Boogaard was a fan favorite for the Minnesota Wild before joining the New York Rangers for a final, injury-plagued season. After his death at age 28, his family acknowledged that he had become addicted to painkillers. They said Aaron Boogaard had attempted to help his brother with his addiction by controlling his access to drugs, and they criticized authorities for charging him. Boogaard didn't comment after the hearing, but his attorney John Lundquist said he and his family are glad to have the case over. Boogaard "acknowledged today that he made an error in judgment in doing so while suffering from extreme shock after coming home and finding that Derek had passed away," Lundquist said. The younger Boogaard plays for a Wild farm team, the Houston Aeros. Derek Boogaard, known as "The Boogeyman," was one of the most feared fighters in the league. The 6-foot-7-inch, 265-pound forward racked up 589 penalty minutes in 277 career games. He left the Wild for a four-year deal with the Rangers and scored one goal in 22 games before his season was ended by a concussion, five months before his death. 6. ESPN.com- Penguins' Chris Kunitz signs deal Associated Press PITTSBURGH -- Forward Chris Kunitz signed a two-year extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins that will keep him with the club through the 2013-14 season. The deal, announced Thursday, will pay the 32-year-old Kunitz $3.725 million a season. Kunitz is coming off an impressive 2010-11 season in which he recorded 23 goals and 25 assists in 66 games. He has one assist in four games for the Penguins this season. Coach Dan Bylsma has praised Kunitz's leadership on helping the Penguins thrive without star Sidney Crosby, who was cleared Thursday for contact in practices.