Mike Richter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mike Richter |
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Richter lifting the Stanley Cup in 1994
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| Born | September 22, 1966 Abington, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Goaltender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Caught | Left | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Played for | New York Rangers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team |  United States |
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| NHL Draft | 28th overall, 1985 New York Rangers |
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| Playing career | 1989–2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Mike Richter (born September 22, 1966) is a former American professional ice hockey goaltender. He played his entire career with the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL). From 1989 to 2002, he was a key player for the Rangers. He famously led the team to win the Stanley Cup in 1994.
Richter also played for the United States in many international games. In 2008, he was honored by being named to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. He was inducted alongside his former Rangers and U.S. teammate, Brian Leetch.
Contents
Playing Career: Mike Richter's Journey to the NHL
Mike Richter grew up in Flourtown, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. As a kid, he looked up to Philadelphia Flyers goalie Bernie Parent. He played hockey at Germantown Academy and then Northwood School. He also played at the Wissahickon Skating Club.
After playing for the U.S. in the World Junior Championships in 1985, Richter played for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The Rangers picked him 28th overall in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He played for the U.S. again in the 1986 World Junior Championships. He also played in the World Championships and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.
Richter made his NHL debut in the 1989 playoffs. He quickly became a regular player for the Rangers. In his first full season, he won 12 games as the team's backup goalie. For the next two seasons, he shared goalie duties with veteran John Vanbiesbrouck. Richter was also chosen to play for the U.S. in the 1991 Canada Cup tournament.
Becoming a Stanley Cup Champion
Before the 1993-94 season, John Vanbiesbrouck left the Rangers. This made Richter the team's main goalie. He had his best season, winning 42 games. The Rangers also won the Presidents' Trophy for being the best regular season team. Richter was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the NHL All-Star Game. The Rangers hosted this game at Madison Square Garden.
In the playoffs, Richter played even better. He recorded four shutouts, meaning he didn't let any goals in during those games. The Rangers reached the Stanley Cup Finals against the Vancouver Canucks. In Game 4, Richter made a famous save. He stopped Vancouver's top scorer, Pavel Bure, on a penalty shot. The Rangers went on to defeat the Canucks in seven games. This win ended a long Stanley Cup drought for the Rangers since 1940.
Later Career and Playing Style
After winning the Stanley Cup, Richter was seen as one of the world's best goalies. He led the United States to victory in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. His amazing play earned him the tournament's Most Valuable Player award.
Richter was known for his exciting and quick style of play. Even though he wasn't the biggest goalie, he used his fast reflexes to make himself look huge. He was almost always in the right spot to block shots. He was famous for making incredible saves using his focus and flexibility. His longtime teammate, Brian Leetch, once said, "I have never seen anyone more focused than he was. As the game got tougher, he got better."
Injuries, especially to his knees and concussions, affected his career. His last playoff appearance was in 1997. Despite injuries and weaker Ranger teams, he was still chosen as the top goalie for Team USA. He played in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics. He won a silver medal in the 2002 Games.
Richter became the first Ranger to reach 300 wins. He finished his career as the Rangers' all-time leader in wins, a record later broken by Henrik Lundqvist. A skull fracture and concussion forced him to retire in 2003. On February 4, 2004, the Rangers retired his jersey number 35. This means no other Ranger will ever wear that number.
Life After Hockey
After retiring from the NHL, Mike Richter went to Yale University. He studied Ethics, Politics, and Economics, focusing on Environmental Policy.
He is now the President of Brightcore Energy, a company that works with energy solutions. Richter is very passionate about the environment. He was a founding partner at Healthy Planet Partners, which helps finance sustainable power. He also worked with Environmental Capital Partners, a fund focused on using resources efficiently.
Richter serves on the Board of Trustees for the Adirondack Nature Conservancy. He is also a member of the National Advisory Council for the Sierra Club. He works with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to make sports more eco-friendly. He also started Athletes for a Healthy Planet. This group helps people understand how environmental issues connect to health, economy, and fairness.
In 2019, Richter played in a special hockey game near the North Pole. This game was sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme. The idea came from Russian hockey legend Viacheslav Fetisov. The goal was to raise awareness about melting ice in polar regions due to climate change.
Mike Richter has three sons. They all grew up playing ice hockey in their hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1982–83 | Germantown Academy | HS-PA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Philadelphia Jr. Flyers | NEJHL | 36 | 23 | 10 | 3 | 2160 | 94 | — | 2.61 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Northwood School | HS-Prep | 18 | — | — | — | 1374 | 52 | 2 | 2.27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 24 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 1394 | 92 | 0 | 3.96 | .886 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 36 | 19 | 16 | 1 | 2136 | 126 | 0 | 3.54 | .901 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | United States National Team | Intl | 29 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 1559 | 86 | — | 3.31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Colorado Rangers | IHL | 22 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 1298 | 68 | 0 | 3.14 | .902 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 536 | 35 | 0 | 3.92 | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Denver Rangers | IHL | 57 | 23 | 26 | 0 | 3031 | 217 | 1 | 4.30 | — | 4 | 0 | 4 | 210 | 21 | 0 | 6.00 | — | ||
| 1988–89 | New York Rangers | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 58 | 4 | 0 | 4.14 | .867 | ||
| 1989–90 | New York Rangers | NHL | 23 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 1320 | 66 | 0 | 3.00 | .904 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 330 | 19 | 0 | 3.45 | .896 | ||
| 1989–90 | Flint Spirits | IHL | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 782 | 49 | 0 | 3.76 | .900 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | New York Rangers | NHL | 45 | 21 | 13 | 7 | 2596 | 135 | 0 | 3.12 | .903 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 313 | 14 | 1 | 2.68 | .923 | ||
| 1991–92 | New York Rangers | NHL | 41 | 23 | 12 | 2 | 2298 | 119 | 3 | 3.11 | .901 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 412 | 24 | 1 | 3.50 | .894 | ||
| 1992–93 | New York Rangers | NHL | 38 | 13 | 19 | 3 | 2105 | 134 | 1 | 3.82 | .886 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Binghamton Rangers | AHL | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 305 | 6 | 0 | 1.18 | .964 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | New York Rangers | NHL | 68 | 42 | 12 | 6 | 3710 | 159 | 5 | 2.57 | .910 | 23 | 16 | 7 | 1417 | 49 | 4 | 2.07 | .921 | ||
| 1994–95 | New York Rangers | NHL | 35 | 14 | 17 | 2 | 1993 | 97 | 2 | 2.92 | .890 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 384 | 23 | 0 | 3.59 | .878 | ||
| 1995–96 | New York Rangers | NHL | 41 | 24 | 13 | 3 | 2396 | 107 | 3 | 2.68 | .912 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 662 | 36 | 0 | 3.26 | .883 | ||
| 1996–97 | New York Rangers | NHL | 61 | 33 | 22 | 6 | 3598 | 161 | 4 | 2.68 | .917 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 939 | 33 | 3 | 2.11 | .932 | ||
| 1997–98 | New York Rangers | NHL | 72 | 21 | 31 | 15 | 4143 | 184 | 0 | 2.66 | .903 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | New York Rangers | NHL | 68 | 27 | 30 | 8 | 3878 | 170 | 4 | 2.63 | .910 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | New York Rangers | NHL | 61 | 22 | 31 | 8 | 3622 | 173 | 0 | 2.87 | .905 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | New York Rangers | NHL | 45 | 20 | 21 | 3 | 2635 | 144 | 0 | 3.28 | .893 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | New York Rangers | NHL | 55 | 24 | 26 | 4 | 3195 | 157 | 2 | 2.95 | .906 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | New York Rangers | NHL | 13 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 694 | 34 | 0 | 2.94 | .897 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 666 | 301 | 258 | 73 | 38,183 | 1,840 | 24 | 2.89 | .904 | 76 | 41 | 33 | 4,515 | 202 | 9 | 2.68 | .909 | ||||
International Play
| Year | Team | Event | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | United States | WJC | 3 | — | — | — | 43 | 6 | 0 | 8.37 | — | |
| 1986 | United States | WJC | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 208 | 9 | 0 | 2.60 | — | |
| 1986 | United States | WC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 5 | 0 | 5.66 | — | |
| 1987 | United States | WC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 80 | 8 | 0 | 6.00 | — | |
| 1988 | United States | OLY | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 230 | 15 | 0 | 3.91 | .802 | |
| 1991 | United States | CC | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 420 | 22 | 0 | 3.14 | .904 | |
| 1993 | United States | WC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 237 | 13 | 0 | 3.29 | — | |
| 1996 | United States | WCH | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 371 | 15 | 0 | 2.43 | .923 | |
| 1998 | United States | OLY | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 237 | 14 | 0 | 3.54 | .849 | |
| 2002 | United States | OLY | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 240 | 9 | 1 | 2.25 | .932 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | — | — | — | 251 | 15 | 0 | 3.59 | — | |||
| Senior totals | 32 | 14 | 15 | 3 | 1868 | 101 | 1 | 3.24 | — | |||
Awards and Honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-WCHA Second Team | 1986–87 |
- NHL All-Star Game: 1992, 1994 (MVP), 2000
- Stanley Cup champion: 1994
- Won gold medal at 1996 World Cup of Hockey (MVP)
- Won silver medal at 2002 Winter Olympics
- Number 35 jersey retired by the New York Rangers in 2004
- Inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008
- Received the 2009 Lester Patrick Award alongside Mark Messier and Jim Devellano
- In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, he was ranked No. 3 all-time among New York Rangers players. He was the highest-ranked goalie out of 74 goalies.
- Inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2014
Rangers' Team Awards
- Crumb Bum Award – For helping New York youngsters (1997)
- Frank Boucher Trophy – Most popular player on and off the ice (1991, 1999, 2000, 2002)
- Good Guy Award – For working well with the media (1991)
- Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award – Best rookie at training camp (1988)
- Player's Player Award (1991, 2000)
- Team Rookie of the Year (1991)
- Team MVP (2000, 2002)
Rangers' Team Records
- Most wins in a single season: 42 (1993–94)
See also
In Spanish: Mike Richter para niños
