Brad Richards embracing opportunity for second Stanley Cup

CHICAGO — Eleven years ago last Sunday, Brad Richards lifted both the Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup trophies as the Tampa Bay Lightning were crowned champions of the NHL. If there’s anyone on the Chicago Blackhawks that knows just how hard it is to get back to the mountain top again after winning once, it’s him.

Since leaving the Lightning in 2007, Richards has been on a quest for a second Cup. He’s reached the conference finals three times — once with the Dallas Stars and twice with the New York Rangers — and went back to the Stanley Cup Final last year as the Rangers fell in five games to the Los Angeles Kings.

Richards knows he’s on the back nine of his career and the opportunities to win don’t come around often. He gave himself a great opportunity to do so by signing with the Blackhawks last July, filling a need down the middle for the team and adding another Cup ring to the dressing room.

When the Lightning won in 2004, Richards was 24. Last month he turned 35 and the time to win is now.

“When you’re young like that, sometimes you don’t realize the magnitude of a big experience like that,” Richards said. “But when you’re 15 years into your career, you know that you don’t get a chance to win the Cup every day, or every year. For me, I don’t know where I’ll be playing next year, I don’t know if I’ll be done in two or three years. So when you have a chance like this, you take it very seriously.”

Chicago will have at most two chances to win their third Cup in six seasons. In 2004, the Lightning were in the same situation they’re in now: down 3-2 and on the road for Game 6. Richards has been on that side before and understands the current state of the Tampa dressing.

“You know, we know once the puck drops, they're back in the battle, it's on again,” he said. “The hardest part of that is waiting. That team just can't wait to get on the ice.

“It's once the game goes, I'm sure it's going to be another tight game. As that goes, they're going to get more and more belief. Our job is to try to take that belief away.”

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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