Richards Named Flyers Captain; Hatcher To IR

Center Mike Richards has been named Captain of the Philadelphia Flyers, the team announced Wednesday. The 23-year old is the 17th Captain in team history. Richards had a breakout season last year, leading the team with 75 points, was named an Eastern Conference All Star, and won the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP. "I just think Mike Richards is a player that has all the characteristics we want on our team," said Flyers head coach John Stevens. "We want a guy out there, that when we see him playing, he is representative of the identity of our hockey team. I think Mike is all of that." For a team that has had four captains in four years, this comes as welcome news. Richards is entering the first year of a 12-year contract extension signed in December. "It's obviously a privilege to be part of such a traditional organization, and be captain of it," Richards said. "I am going to do my best to do it. We have a lot of great team leaders right now on our team, and you don't have to change anything. I think everybody really helps out around the dressing room. There are so many leaders, you just kind of have to do your own thing and more worry about yourself and help out where things are needed." Speaking of captains, former Captain Derian Hatcher will start the season on the long-term injury list with an injured right knee. As a result, the Flyers are able to create some salary cap space by subtracting his $3.5 million from the books. "We've talked a number of times, as recent as this past Wedensday," general manager Paul Holmgren said. "We spent a great deal of time with Derian. He wants to play. He knows he is not ready to play right now. Whether he will or won't play will be seen down the road. In the interim, we are going to see if there is something that he can do to help the coaches or find some niche here to help keep him busy. "It is basically his knee. It is a situation where surgically speaking they really can't do anything. It is a question of strength in his knee. I would say there is a ray of hope. We will see how it goes." Even so, there is a slim chance that Hatcher plays this season. He missed 28 games with his degenerative knee injury and another 10 with a broken right foot. Though his knee obviously still bothers him, Hatcher says he is not ready to retire. That being said, if in the end he is unable to play, Hatcher says he would like to stay with the team as a scout or a coach. "It's tough. Basically, the doctors are saying that for me to try and play isn't fair to my body and it isn't fair to me. They are afraid that I will end up hurting something else like blowing out my hip, or something like that," Hatcher said. "But, we'll see. I've talked to Paul numerous times this summer and I've talked to him in the past few days. We both agree that I should be placed on IR and see what happens." In other news, the Flyers announced Thursday the signing of veteran goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin to a one-year deal. In 19 games last season with the Los Angeles Kings, Aubin had a record of 5-6-1 with a GAA of 3.19. "Jean-Sebastien is a veteran goalie with quality NHL experience," general manager Paul Holmgren said in a statement. "We feel his experience, along with his ability as a goaltender, makes him an ideal fit for our organization." Said Aubin: "I'm happy to come to a great organization like the Flyers. I know a lot of the guys on the team. They have a lot of faith in me and it is a really good fit for me to come here." Aubin was drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 1995 draft. He has also played for Toronto during his nine year career.