"It was a pretty special moment," the soft-spoken center said.
By all accounts, Richards will be a pretty special captain.
"All the captains you saw lined up, they were incredible individuals on and off the ice," veteran goalie Marty Biron said. "And I think Richie will be like that."
Richards' work ethic rivals that of the most famous captain in Flyers history, Bobby Clarke.
"Richie's a guy who will battle and fight on the ice and do anything to get success," Biron said. "And that's the way he is in the locker room. . . . He's all about the team."
"He's one of those guys who has a quiet confidence about him," said another veteran, right winger Mike Knuble. "And he's not scared to say something in the locker room. He bounces around and talks with the older guys and the younger guys. But first and foremost, his play on the ice dictated where he is. He's a real deserving guy and he's going to be here forever, almost. He's the face of the franchise."
Richards is the third-youngest captain in Flyers history; Eric Lindros and Clarke were younger.
"You don't put an age on captaincy," said the colorful Biron. "There are guys that could be 40 and aren't able to do certain things. In his situation, with his [12-year contract] and the fact that he came in here and won the Calder Cup with the Phantoms, and then what he has added to the Flyers since he's been here, it makes him the captain I think everyone wants."
Quiet and friendly, the introspective Richards won't be a screamer.
"I'm not the loudest guy," Richards said. "I'm not going to yell at anyone or do anything outside of what I usually do. The good thing about our team is that we have a lot of veteran guys who have been captains on different teams, so it's not just one guy who has to step up. It's more a by-committee type of thing."
You don't need to be a yeller to be a good captain, defenseman Kimmo Timonen said.
