Travis Richards

Travis John Richards (born March 22, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played briefly in the National Hockey League with the Dallas Stars.

Travis Richards
Richards with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2005
Born (1970-03-22) March 22, 1970
Crystal, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Left
Played for Dallas Stars
National team  United States
NHL Draft 169th overall, 1988
Minnesota North Stars
Playing career 1993–2006

Richards played ten seasons for the minor-league Grand Rapids Griffins. He is the first player with his jersey retired by the club, and was the only until Michel Picard's uniform was retired on February 19, 2022

Playing career

Richards graduated from Robbinsdale Armstrong High School in Plymouth, Minnesota in 1988. Richards was a member of the University of Minnesota Gophers hockey program before making his professional debut during the 1993-94 season. A child psychology major, Richards would spend four years at the University of Minnesota where his brother Todd was a Gopher from 1985 to 1989. Earning WCHA Second Team All-Star honors on defense in 1992 and in 1993, Richards would join the US National Team at the 1993 World Championships at the end of his senior year.

Drafted by the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League in the ninth round (169th overall) of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, Richards played only three games in the NHL for the Dallas Stars.[1] On July 26, 1996, Richards became the second player ever to sign with the Grand Rapids Griffins, then of the International Hockey League, now of the American Hockey League. Richards played in each of the team's first ten seasons and became team captain in 2001. He holds the record for most career games as a Griffin with 655. Richards's number 24 was retired by the Griffins upon his retirement, becoming the first number retired by the club.[2]

Personal

For a time, Richards was the hockey director at The Edge Ice Arena in Holland, Michigan. He resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan and has three children.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1986–87 Robbinsdale Armstrong High School HS-MN 22 6 16 22 20 — — — — —
1987–88 Robbinsdale Armstrong High School HS-MN 24 14 14 28 — — — — —
1989–90 University of Minnesota WCHA 45 4 24 28 38 — — — — —
1990–91 University of Minnesota WCHA 45 9 25 34 28 — — — — —
1991–92 University of Minnesota WCHA 44 10 23 33 65 — — — — —
1992–93 University of Minnesota WCHA 42 12 26 38 54 — — — — —
1993–94 United States Intl 51 1 11 12 38 — — — — —
1993–94 Kalamazoo Wings IHL 19 2 10 12 20 4 1 1 2 0
1994–95 Kalamazoo Wings IHL 63 4 16 20 53 15 1 5 6 12
1994–95 Dallas Stars NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1995–96 Michigan K-Wings IHL 65 8 15 23 55 9 2 2 4 4
1995–96 Dallas Stars NHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
1996–97 Grand Rapids Griffins IHL 77 10 13 23 83 5 1 3 4 2
1997–98 Grand Rapids Griffins IHL 81 12 20 32 70 3 1 1 2 4
1998–99 Grand Rapids Griffins IHL 82 9 23 32 84 — — — — —
1999–2000 Grand Rapids Griffins IHL 71 5 23 28 47 17 1 7 8 16
2000–01 Grand Rapids Griffins IHL 75 5 30 35 42 10 0 5 5 8
2001–02 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 72 6 23 29 36 5 0 1 1 2
2002–03 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 73 6 21 27 52 15 0 4 4 6
2003–04 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 76 2 22 24 48 4 1 0 1 2
2004–05 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 35 1 3 4 30 — — — — —
2005–06 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 13 0 4 4 10 — — — — —
IHL totals 533 55 150 205 454 63 7 24 31 48
NHL totals 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
AHL totals 269 15 73 88 176 24 1 5 6 10

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
1993 United States WC 6th 5 0 1 1 0
1994 United States OG 8th 8 0 0 0 2
Senior totals 13 0 1 1 2

Awards and honors
Award Year
College
All-WCHA Second Team 1991–92
All-WCHA Second Team 1992–93
AHL
All-Star Game 2004

References
  1. "Travis Richards player statistics". hockeydb.com. 2010-03-04. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  2. "Travis Richards night Nov. 24". Grand Rapids Griffins. 2006-09-14. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
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