wearemany

dug out an old George Michael/JC Chasez story I wrote so long ago I can’t remember the year (2003? maybe?) because what the fuck else am I supposed to do right now?

when you come home after a long day and have absolutely no chill about mike richards being back in the game.

like sometimes I pretend I could have more than one favorite player? but that’s a fucking lie. I like those other guys fine. they’re great. they’re fuckin’ awesome. but they’re not my favorite, you know?

you know, tumblr, you know. you’re built for faves and late freakouts. thanks for being there. good talk.

that “good question” from Richie is definitely the same one who slow clapped at Pears getting himself off in this story, btw.

no, seriously. everybody* loves that dude, without any of the qualifications or careful comments so many hockey players have been making about their probably-terrible teammates or player recently. all these guys who scouted, coached and played with richie through the years are heartbroken they didn’t know what was going on to help, they want him to get well, they want him to be good to himself. and mostly they love him. (the irony of all these quotes being collected by a philly beat reporter who took it SO PERSONALLY when richie stopped wanting to give media their daily handie and yet starts off one of these pieces calling him “handsome” is especially rich.)

*i continue to refuse to acknowledge lombardi’s tone-deaf, borderline cruel, absolutely selfish ridiculous comments on the matter.

look.

Dustin Brown: 

"I guess the first instincts are his play dipped, but you don't equate that to being on drugs. Guys go through spurts in their careers where they're not on top of their game and I think collectively we probably all could have [done something to help him]. Easy to say now, right? But we had 20 guys in there and I think all of us were surprised. But in retrospect, you probably could have looked back at certain scenarios and thought about it. But it's easy in the review mirror. It's something we've dealt with internally. I think it's been a hard few months for a lot of guys. At the end of the day, he was a big part of our team and you just hope that he's getting the help he needs and he can get back on his feet. That's ultimately where it stands now. Inside this [dressing] room there was a lot of surprise [about the arrest]. I think what gets lost in a lot of the business side of things is he's a person who needs help, and hopefully he can get that and has the time to get it now. That I think is first and foremost. I think the most important thing in this whole situation is getting his feet back under him. I don't even think it was the partying. Honestly, when you live in LA, he was a pretty quiet homebody."

John Stevens (coached Richie on Flyers and Kings):

"We all think the world of Mike; everyone knows how long my relationship has gone on with him. He's still a young man, so if he wants to play - and I hope he gets a chance to do so - he's young enough if he wants to continue his career. And he's had a great career to this point."

Justin Williams (played together on Kings and Flyers):

"I was very shocked because I'm good friends with Mike and still talk to him quite often. But people aren't going to just voluntarily tell you their issues, and that certainly was the case. He hid a lot. But at the same time, he's still a friend of mine and a guy I'm going to support. He needs help."

Ron Hextall (knew Richie as Philly front-office, then Kings asst GM)

“I know this: I know Mike Richards is a good kid. I know Mike Richards was a very good hockey player and I know he cared. All the other stuff that happened, I really don't know enough about."

Terry Murray (coached Richie on Flyers and Kings):

“I could not believe what I was reading. I give him the benefit of the doubt because I love the guy. When you see the quality of the player, the person, the intelligence, the on-ice smarts [it's difficult to believe his alleged off-ice problems]. He had an 'I'm-going-to-show-you-the-way' kind of attitude, so it was very shocking when it all came out. I think he'll end up back in the league. He's such a high-character guy. Obviously, there's something [problematic] out there - whatever it is, I don't know - but I think he'll end up back in the league. I absolutely want to see him back in."

Peter Luukko (former Flyers president):

“Mike is a great person and I think he'll overcome these issues. This is personal for me and I just wish him the best and that he gets himself going together. I really enjoyed him. He knew my family, and I knew his mom and dad and brother. He's got an issue right now, but I really believe he can deal with it."

Patrick Sharp (played together on Flyers):

"He was a heart-and-soul-type of player. I played with Richie when he was coming out of junior. He came to Philadelphia and we won a championship in the minors together [with the Phantoms]. He was a great teammate, great friend off the ice. . . . We're from a similar part of the world - Northwestern Ontario - and I hope he can get through this and come back playing. When I heard the news about Mike, I didn't know what to take from it, didn't know what to believe. I guess [the settlement] is the best for both sides.”

and also:

Brown and Kings assistant John Stevens said they have not talked with Richards since the arrest.

"I know some guys have. I'm sure Cartsy's talked to him a bit here and there," Brown said, referring to Richards' long-time best friend, Kings forward Jeff Carter.

Carter, a one-time Flyers star, avoided reporters after the morning skate, leaving the arena quickly and without comment.

"They're deep, close friends," Stevens said. "They kind of grew up playing hockey together. They were part of all those Team Canada groups together; they came into the [Flyers] organization together, they got traded and won Stanley Cups together. So it would be hard to find two guys who have more experiences over their careers than those two guys."

Carter leads the Kings in points (17) and is second in goals (seven).

"Jeff has really matured," Stevens said. "He's gotten married, he's taken over a lot of the leadership role on the hockey team. I think Jeff cares deeply about Mike.”

good question, nonnie. i’m here for you in this time of need.

so here’s the part in question, which is also some of the most horribly punctuated quoting i’ve seen in an article in a long time: 

“All that where ‘it’s me and him is really,’ no offense, but it’s just the media talking,” Carter said. “We played against each other in junior and then we got drafted to Philly together and came in to Philly the same time and World Juniors and pretty much every team we’ve played on since we’ve both been on that team. It’s fair to say, but we were both totally different players and never really played that much together maybe here or there.” 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/jeff-carter-under-the-radar-elite-status-in-los-angeles-031107121.html

this whole interview was kind of awkward and rambling - as @giganticism dug up, that kind of fits with this earlier thing a sports writer said about him, that he’s just quiet, not an asshole. 

but i didn’t take it to mean he doesn’t care how mike is doing - just that they actually didn’t play on the same line anywhere near as much as people tend to remember (which is totally true), and that they were fundamentally totally different players (which they were). 

here’s what mike said btw to the local kitchener/waterloo paper: 

“Obviously it has been stressful,” he said. “Everyone says different things but I know who my family and friends are and that’s all that really matters, having their support.

which reminded me more of what mike said just after being sent down to the AHL: