Flyers

As the Puck Ices: Mike Richards Downplays “Dry Island,” Nikolay Zherdev Takes Shots at Holmgren and Lavs

By Kyle Scott

Published: Jul 27th, 2011 · 10:36 AM EDT

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Yeah, he's going to do just fine in LA

This Flyers offseason is part WWE, part One Life to Live, and has elements from The Wire, Goodfellas, and a soon-to-be-released Amy Winehouse TV serial. Ex-Capitan fired back at the Dry Island story yesterday.

One Zero was in LA to look for a house, meet his new (old) bosses, and speak with the media. He flatly denied Dry Island played any part in him getting traded.

Here’s what he told TSN :

"I believe what happens in the dressing room should stay in the dressing room," Richards told TSN's That's Hockey on Tuesday. "It was just something that happened for a handful of guys, just more of a playful thing that half the team took part in and the other half didn't.

It wasn't a big deal…It was just a joke around the locker room and obviously leaked out and someone's trying to make a mountain out of it." 

 

Seeing as though Paul Holmgren called it part of the “inner sanctum" of the Flyers' locker room, I’m not so sure the team viewed it as a joke- as ridiculously hysterical as it was.

"It couldn't be further from the truth," Richards told TSN. "Unfortunately, things get blown out of proportion and things get said and taken out of context too. I'm not sure if people are trying to get a sense of it or trying to convince other people that it was the reason, but at the same time, it's not true at all."

 

I’m not really sure what to think, anymore. On one hand, I’m sad to see Richie and Carts go and think the team made a rash decision because of one blown season… On the other, the more that comes out (and the more people I speak with), it becomes clear that these guys weren’t in good standing with the organization. 

Anyway, Richie defended himself. What should he care? Look at the Kings.com reporter. Left coast, baby. Left coast.

Speaking of out there… Nikolay Zherdev, who may have threatened to kill his wife two months ago, voiced his displeasure with Homer and Lavs. Here are the quotes from (@euroflyers), Broad Street Hockey’s … wait for it … European reporter:

"I had a good preseason. The coach promised me a top 6 role. But when the season started, I was somehow in the bottom 6

The coach told me I should be fighting more. But I'm not a fighter, right?"

 

In reference to Homer calling him “an outsider”: [Philly Sports Daily]

“[Zherdev was] kind of an outsider here,” general manager Paul Holmgren told the media after last season. “I think some of that is a language barrier and I think some of that is just how he is. I asked him yesterday why he had a car service all year. Why wouldn’t you ask one of your teammates to give you a ride? He’s just a different guy.”

 

… Zherdev had this to say:

"I heard what Holmgren told about me as a person. I was just wondering, how can he know what kind of a man I am when he saw me 4 times?

Why shouldn't I use a driver service if I have no car & don't know the city? What's the big deal? I had the right to do so."

 

Maybe the car service was a good thing, since, ya know, he did try to smash his Bentley to bits with his wife inside. Flake, yo.