BOSTON – Anthony Richard is quite familiar with enemy territory.
The speedy forward is a native of Quebec and spent last season with his hometown Montreal Canadiens. As such, if Richard makes his Bruins debut on Saturday afternoon against the Washington Capitals at TD Garden, it will be an adjustment for his family – everyone except his brother Michael.
“My hometown it's not too far from here,” said Richard, who hails from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. “The game being at 3 o'clock, my parents are probably going to drive down, and I guess my brother…my brother actually has always been a huge Bruins fan, so he’s been battling the family over the Canadiens and Bruins the last couple of weeks. My mom was a huge Canadiens fan growing up, so I think she’s going to have to turn into a Bruins fan [Saturday], that’s for sure.
“Playing when he was younger, [my brother] was a physical guy, so I think he loves that fighting, hitting, and stuff. In Montreal, they’re more passionate about the game of hockey but here it's more like physical stuff and back in the day. He’s going to be happy [on Saturday] about the crowd.”
Coach Jim Montgomery said there’s a “big chance, real good chance” that Richard, who practiced on a line with Danton Heinen and Jesper Boqvist on Friday morning at Warrior Ice Arena, is in the lineup against the Caps.
“I'm very excited. Last year, I played before Christmas in Montreal, so it's easier to get into the NHL game shape and know how fast it is,” said Richard, who notched three goals and two assists in 13 games for the Canadiens last season. “I was waiting for that chance for a while. I've been playing good down there, we have a good team…it's been really nice in Providence, I really enjoy my time there…but once you start playing good and feeling good about your game, and you see guys get hurt, or sick, or out of the lineup, you’re starting to think about having those looks in the NHL.
“I’ve been thinking about it the last month or so when my game was really good…like I told Monty and management, I was waiting for my chance. I'm really happy to be here, and I'll try to do my best. I watch pretty much all of their games, and they’re a fun team to watch. I’m excited to play with these guys.”
Richard has been an offensive force for Providence this season, tallying 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points in 41 games, which is tied for second with Fabian Lysell on the P-Bruins’ scoring list.
“Honestly, when you're winning, especially down there in the American Hockey League, it's a lot easier,” said Richard, who added that he played the most with Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Jayson Megna, and Patrick Brown. “Everybody is committed to play the right way, like a playoff type of game…which is the first time I've seen that in the American Hockey League. Usually, it’s about making points or producing offensively for a guy like me. But down there its more we want to play the right way.
“We're looking at your stats a little bit, but it's more about your overall game. So, I would say it's a lot different than any other places I’ve played. I'm really impressed about the way the whole thing is going on so far. I'm really happy about it.”
Montgomery is intrigued by Richard’s speed, which was on full display during the 27-year-old’s stint with Boston during the exhibition season. Richard has also been a regular contributor to the P-Bruins’ penalty kill.
“Speed,” Montgomery said plainly when asked what interested him about Richard’s game. “We'd like to create more anxiety on other teams, and there's different ways to do that – speed is one of them. That really makes people back off or make plays quicker than they want to. Physicality is another one.
“He's had a really good year in Providence and is just shy of 40 points, almost a point a game. But more importantly, he's got five shorthanded goals. We’ll slowly hope to break him into penalty kill situations.
“But his tenacity on pucks, his forechecking ability, and his speed to take people wide, to take it to the net and finish at the net, is something that we're looking forward to seeing how this translates for us.”
