LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 11: (L-R) Mike Richards #10 and Jeff Carter #77 of the Los Angeles Kings hold the Stanley Cup after the Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final Series four games to two. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

It’s been roughly one week since this picture was taken at the Staples Center in Southern California, on a historic night for the Los Angeles Kings organization. Across the country two years prior to this photo being captured, both of the men within it—along with their Flyers teammates—became a part of Philadelphia sports lore when the refused to relent after being down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Boston Bruins. They became only the third team in NHL history to come back from that grave of a series deficit and win the series. They would go on to help the Flyers make their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1997.

A year later, on the eve of the 2011 NHL Draft, both men would find out they had been shipped non-stop to Columbus in Carter’s case, and Los Angeles in Richards, to don uniforms that were not the Orange and Black hues of the Philadelphia club they had spent their entire professional careers with.

Prior to this trade, Paul Holmgren was pretty much a savior to Philadelphia hockey. Watching Bobby Clarke run the team head-first into the ice over and over was the equivalent to torture with thumbscrews for the majority of the fanbase. My personal vendetta with Clarke was watching as he allowed the promising young goaltender Antero Niittymaki to rot on the bench so Robert “Shows Up Once In A Blue Moon” Esche could start in goal (though later, my research would prove partial selective memory on that front, as Niitty actually appeared in more games than Esche in 2005-06—though I can’t seem to find a stat for the number of starts each one had. I don’t know what it is, but for some reason my entire memory of Esche revolves primarily around his atrocious showing in the 2006 Playoffs). Holmgren made controversial and questionable moves, but the majority always seemed to turn out for the better. In the end, he managed to build the team that had the worst record in franchise history in 2006-07 back into a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

And then he traded two of the team’s best players away for guys who everyone knew would not be able to completely fill their void, so he could sign a goaltender who’s first year here was more-or-less a bust.

Now, the Carter trade I didn’t mind. He was good, but the guy was a one-way player. Couple that with his proneness to injury, after what happened in the 2011 playoffs where our defense was made to look like a bunch of guys who belong in Adirondack with our AHL team, I can understand letting Carter and his massive contract go. The Richards trade on the other hand…

Look, say what you will about what Mike Richards and Jeff Carter did off-the-ice. Frankly, as a fan I don’t give a rat’s *** what he did off-the-ice as long as it wasn’t illegal, and even then what can I do? Scold him from afar into a guilt-ridden shame? I can be personally disappointed about the turns his personal life takes if it causes him to miss significant time with the team (which it didn’t) and that’s about it. What I cared about as a fan is what I saw on the ice, and what I saw on the ice was Mike Richards grabbing his lunch pail and helmet and coming to play gritty hockey every night. Yes, we had one bad year after a miraculous one, one where he and Carter’s antics off-ice were brought to light in the wake of the disappointing finish we suffered. If that’s how this organization is truly run, then I guess it’s time to cut ties with Bryzgalov, Brayden Schenn, and the majority of our defensive pairings since they weren’t as good as we thought they could or would be this year. If you want something to work, it can, but you have to at least attempt stick with it through the good and the bad if you hope to reap the rewards. You threw the guy who was a key cog in our 2010 Finals run under the bus because of something as petty as the expected demeanor of he who holds the captaincy? Richards himself has stated that he prefers leading by example on the ice rather than being expected to be a model citizen because of a letter on his jersey. Let us also recognize that certain sectors of the fanbase were getting pissy at a 26-year-old for acting like a 26-year-old because someone in the organization said “I wanna sew a ‘C’ to your sweater.” What would’ve a sit-down, closed-doors talk with Mike asking him if he really wanted to bear the responsibilities of being captain after the 2010-11 season harmed? If he would’ve expressed discontent with the responsibilities, would having three alternates (Perhaps Briere, Giroux, and Pronger? Or Timonen?) or allowing Mike to relinquish the captaincy so a vet could take over really been so terrible? Clearly the C didn’t matter to Mike, he came to play hockey and did his goddamn job regardless of additional alphabet-accessories patched onto his chest.

I guess it doesn’t help that what we were shown this year in High-Definition bold lettering was that you can’t sacrifice scoring for defense. Building from the net out as Holmgren attempted to do is all well and good, but there will always be cracks that the pucks find. You have to be able to respond, both physically, mentally, and—most importantly—on the score sheet. You need that player who will help energize and wake up your team in all facets by his play. Claude Giroux is amazing, but he’s not that player just yet. Even when he does take that final small step into that light (which will likely happen in the coming season), having more than one of those types of guys—especially when they’re still young guns—can’t really hurt a team. The 2012 LA Kings basically proved that by being able to run Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Richards with multiple lines in multiple situations.

Mike Richards was and still is that type of rare-breed player. He is a guy who has now won a championship at virtually every conceivable level of ice-hockey known to mankind. The fact that we in-essence traded him so we could sign a goaltender who under whelmed in his initial year (when we had a phenomenal prospect waiting right in the wings, who’s growth got subsequently stifled by the signing), and put the captaincy on a elite but none-the-less aging defensemen who–by no fault of his own (other than possibly electing not to wear an eye shield)—got the worst end of an incidental high stick I’ve seen in recent memory, which subsequently kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the season. So basically, we went the entire 2011-12 season without a “designated captain” on the ice anyway, and we still did pretty damn well all things considered.

Before the Flyers coaxed Jaromir Jagr over to the City of Brotherly Love, they had their sights set on bringing longtime Flyer Simon Gagne back into the fold. Gagne had been traded in the off-season prior in order to free up cap space, a move that the Flyers front office didn’t want to make to begin with, but had to out of a numbers crunch. Plus, they figured that with only 1-year left on his contract, they would be able to bring Gags back into the fold if he hit free agency. However, Gagne made the decision that he would rather play with his friend and fellow 2010 linemate Richards in LA. One must now always consider: if the Flyers had kept Richards, would they have had another bargaining chip to coax Gagne back to the Orange and Black? Regardless, Gagne became someone who—through the desire to play with someone who he had been through hell and high water with—reaped the benefits that would eventually befall the West Coast Flyers.

That statement feels weird saying now, “West Coast Flyers”. Granted, I have been a fan of LA since I learned that my all-time favorite player and Flyer great Ron Hextall claimed a seat within the front office. However, I think that with a closer observation that name—which was originally just a notation of how many Flyers alum the Kings now claim—seems a detracting statement to the Kings. What I’ve witnessed watching the Kings was something completely different than how my primary team operates. One by one, guys who I had sadly watched depart the orange and black found themselves on the left coast, donning the silver and black. First, it was Justin Williams, who found himself under the shade of the palms and the glare of the Hollywood stars after winning the Cup with Carolina, which was his destination when he was traded by Philadelphia; then former Flyers Head Coach Jon Stevens came into the fold as an assistant coach; and of course, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, and later Jeff Carter through a mid-season trade with Columbus. There’s seems to be an understanding and loyalty to the guys there (to a certain extent obviously, I’m not acting like they’ve never screwed anyone over or made a boneheaded personnel move), and the willingness to put said guys in the role they want to be in and can thrive in, in order for both the players and the team as a whole to be successful. It wouldn’t surprise me if Hexy and co. bring more cast-offs from Philly into the fold in the coming off-season. Antero Niittymaki is a UFA this year; as is Michael Leighton, who just might find himself amidst the growing number of his former 2010 teammates who’ve taken up residence in SoCal if the Kings do indeed end up trading their current back up Jonathan Bernier like the rumor mill suggests. Mike Knuble, Matt Carle, Sean O’Donnell and Arron Asham are also current or former Flyers who are 2012 UFAs, even though it’s unlikely any of them would be actively sought-after commodities by LA. Then again, stranger things have happened… like a team trading it’s captain away, only for him to go on and win the Cup in the successive season.

All that said, only one thing is for sure. Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Simon Gagne now have their names etched on Lord Stanley’s Cup. They’re listed under a team that isn’t the Philadelphia Flyers, who still haven’t given the Cup a tour of Broad Street since it’s last visit 37 years ago.

Let’s hope this year, Holmgren’s moves don’t make it 38.