Richards won a Memorial Cup with the OHL's Kitchener Rangers in 2003, after leading the team in scoring.
He captained a Canadian World Junior team to gold in 2005, easily Canada's most talented team ever, being chosen as the leader over teammates like Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Patrice Bergeron and Shea Weber.
Richards was a key part of team Canada's most effective line on their 2010 gold medal winning Olympic team with Jonathan Toews and Rick Nash.
He makes a habit of winning, thanks to his competitive demeanor. His attitude rubs off on teammates and leads to successful habits
Similar to Kings current captain Dustin Brown, Richards is a tough customer.
But more than Brown, Richards is willing to drop the gloves if he feels that he—or a teammate—- has been dealt with unjustly.
Not a hot-head looking for fights, but rather a protector of sorts; Richards won't stand for opponents talking liberties with his teammates and will be first in line to defend them.
Although his fiery demeanour may be abrasive at times, the Kings will surely be glad to be playing with him rather than against him.
Oh, and did I mention that he threw down with Corey Perry once in junior hockey?
The anticipation of Mike Richards is second to none. His hockey-IQ is through the roof.
Not only is he effective at plugging passing lanes while on the penalty kill on top of being an aggressive checker, but he is brilliantly skilled at jumping in to create a scoring chance for himself or a teammate when the opponent is off their guard.
His first NHL hat trick contained two shorthanded goals and is the only NHL player to ever score three 5-on-3 shorthanded goals.
Having a player that makes the opposition worry about being scored on with a man-advantage as much as they focus on scoring a power-play goal is rare, and Richards may just be the best in the NHL when it comes to that particular area of the game.
Paired with Kopitar or Brown, the Kings PK will be a force to reckon with with Richards in the lineup.
Sure, Wayne Simmonds was a Kings fan favourite due to his rugged style of play, I know. But Richards is just as much of a hard hitter as Simmonds was.
"Richie" is likely to win over the hearts of Kings fans with his relentless effort and chippy play, but his big hits are sure to cement him into the memories of all who see him play.
Despite his small stature, Richards knows how to use his body to eliminate opponents from the puck, and his hits quite often can swing the momentum of a game.
Woe betide any player who thinks that they can cut into the middle of the ice while Richards is on patrol. They're more likely to sit our the rest of the game rather than put up points against the former Flyers captain.
Averaging 28 goals per season over the past four years, Richards knows how to put the puck in the net.
Considering the Kings are planning to use him as a second line centre behind Kopitar, those numbers aren't bad at all.
Not to mention the fact that Richards can offer a calming yet dangerous presence on the power play, he should be able to find chemistry with his Kings teammates wherever he plays.
He can also play the point with a man advantage thanks to his strong defensive game, a factor that makes him useful at almost any time during a game.
It's needless to say that Richards is one of the most complete players in the NHL, and Kings fans should have a lot to look forward to in anticipation of seeing him in their starting lineup in 2011-12.
