Further reports have emerged regarding the surprising decision by the Los Angeles Kings to terminate the contract of forward Mike Richards.
The latest, from ESPN, alleges that Richards, a one-time first-round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers, is currently under investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for an unspecified off-the-ice incident.
"A spokesperson for the RCMP in Manitoba told ESPN that, as of Tuesday, no charges have been brought against Richards but declined to comment further," reports ESPN's Katie Strang.
"The source said that Canadian Border Services is also involved in the investigation, but a spokesperson declined comment, citing Canadian privacy laws."
The Kings, in their statement announcing the termination of Richards' 12-year, $69 million contract, which still had five years remaining, said simply that the player was being jettisoned for a "material breach" of the standard NHL code of conduct and that they would offer no further comment on the decision.
It was then reported by ESPN that the incident which got Richards terminated was serious enough that Kings GM Dean Lombardi, who was talking trade with a couple of teams at the NHL draft regarding Richards, promptly cut off those talks and informed the interested GMs of the issue.
HNGN then passed along a report early Tuesday which indicated that the incident in question involved Canadian border patrol.
The fact that the Royal Mounties are involved would certainly seem to jibe with the contention that the issue involves a border-crossing, though attempting to glean anything further would simply be conjecture at this point.
Rick Westhead, a correspondent with The Sports Network, said that a spokesperson for the Royal Mounties could not confirm or deny that Richards was facing pending charges.
Richards has been a part of two Stanley Cup-winning teams with Los Angeles. He spent the first six years of his NHL career with the Flyers.
