Teddy Richards has spent years in the background of professional hockey, sharpening skates, managing gear, and keeping locker rooms running. But over the past couple of years, the Florida Panthers' equipment manager has stepped into a role that few in his profession ever get to experience, representing the United States as equipment manager for Team USA at the Four Nations Face-off.
"It's hard to give that in a few words," Richards said. "People work their careers and their goals and their fantasies and dreams to do what I just did. So, it's a great honor to work for your country, not only to work for the NHL and teams, but to work for your country and get selected out of those small few people."
Richards said the call confirming his selection felt like something he had been anticipating before it even arrived.
"I thought I was in the mix, and then I started getting phone calls from other people without getting the official phone call," Richards said. "It was almost like a Christmas present coming. Like you knew it was coming."
Once on the job, Richards said his approach with Team USA mirrored what he does every day with the Panthers.
"I think it's just presenting the locker room as best I can," Richards said. "I do that here to the Florida Panthers and for USA, we want to go above and beyond and show all the American pride and the American flags and anything USA we could do to fill these guys and just always have them feel comfortable in our locker room and our space."
Preparing for a roster of the best players in the world came with its own set of pressures.
"In preparation, it is a little nerve-racking because this is the best of the best," Richards said. "So, you have to study their habits and what they need and their specs and their equipment, and kind of prepare on the back end of what I have to provide for these guys."
Richards singled out Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk for helping set the tone inside the Team USA locker room.
"Our guy Matthew Tkachuk here in Florida, he definitely leads it," Richards said. "He keeps the morale up. Everyone's talking, telling stories, having fun. You know, intermissions before games. So very uncharacteristic of kind of what a locker room is in a good way."
After long hours and significant sacrifice, Richards said the reward of winning a gold medal is still sinking in.
"Still setting in, to be honest," Richards said. "It'll be something that, you know, you look back and smile and that's kind of where I'm at right now. I'm just, you know, a lot of long bus rides in the minor leagues, kind of fantasizing about just like winning a Stanley Cup or being chosen for the team USA and actually winning a gold medal."
The bond forged among Team USA members has carried over into the regular season.
"The coolest thing is, since we've came back and played other NHL teams, every team we play with, the USA player, a post-game will go see each other," Richards said. "And it's not just a quick hello, it's a hug and, you know, a good intimate conversation with those guys. We're family, that's what we say. And it's kind of the motto we're family."
For Richards, wearing the USA logo carries a meaning that runs deeper than hockey. He grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania in a family with a strong tradition of military service, his father served in the Air Force and his grandfather served in the Army.
"Growing up in that atmosphere and the pride in being an American, it's something I've always really embraced," Richards said. "I can't thank everyone so much for what they do for this country and just to be a very small part of America. I can't say enough about it."
This interview is sponsored by Spectrum A.C. as part of the America 250 campaign celebrating America's 250th birthday.
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