Goaltender Tyler Richards retired from professional lacrosse over Twitter (@TRichards00) on May 21 after a successful career playing one of sport’s notoriously thankless positions.
Richards made the difficult decision after sustaining three concussions over five years from taking shots to his head. He told The Province’s Steve Ewen the last shot, from Jeremy Noble of the Colorado Mammoth on March 29 was on the chin, which knocked his head forward. With more and more players suffering in their post career lives all over sport, it was a proactive decision for Richards made with his long-term health in mind, which is a commendable move.
At just 28, Richards has to be regarded as one of the better goaltenders to make a name for himself in the last decade. He always seemed to step up his game around playoff time, provided the Stealth were in it, and had a great stint with the WLA’s New Westminster Salmonbellies. He backstopped the team to three straight appearances in the Mann Cup, but never won it.
Richards was also apart of the 2010, 2011 and 2013 Stealth teams that made the Champions Cup. In 2010, with Washington, the Stealth won 15-11 over the Toronto Rock. He wasn’t as lucky the second time around against the Rock, losing a one goal game the following year.
He was consistently excellent in both the NLL and WLA, winning the top goaltender award twice on top of those Mann Cup appearances. He came on to the then San Jose Stealth, stole the crease and never looked back, winning rookie goaltender of the year on the back of a .800 save percentage.
While Richards struggled at some points throughout his final two years with the Stealth, Richards had his moments, including scoring the first NLL goal by a goaltender since 2009. He kept the Stealth in games throughout the year before his injury, making key stops; he was also a big part of the Stealth’s transition game.
With Richards on his way out, the Stealth should make finding his replacement one of the top priorities of their offseason. They have two young goaltenders in Eric Penney and Cody Hagedorn but another veteran goaltender would go a long way in keeping the Stealth consistently competitive in the NLL.
Congratulations to Tyler Richards on a great career, and all the best in your future endeavours.
