Brad Richards thinks that the players will be able to put the hard feelings aside left over from the lockout when this dispute ends. "I think the league is still something we're fortunate to have," Richards said. "The players, we have to get through this, like any negotiation, but once it gets done, you've got to be professional. You go out, you play for the logo and the city you're living in. All that other stuff has got to be put aside, and I'm sure it will be. I don't think there's a lot of trust, that's why there is no deal yet, but there's nothing you can do about that now. We're way past that." At the end of the day, regardless of how the players might feel about the owners, they would be shooting themselves in the foot to do anything but aggressively promote the NHL once this lockout ends. Assuming the new CBA ties the players' salaries into league revenues like the current one does - and unless the negotiations fundamentally change it will - any drop-off in fan interest following this lockout will impact the players bottom line in addition to the money they'll have already lost due to m

Brad Richards expressed concerns regarding the negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA on Tuesday. "We're scared for the game," Richards said. "Right now, (the league's offer) is take-it-or-leave-it and it's a deal that makes no sense for the future of the league, so we're trying to figure out a way to get some momentum and get it so it's good for both sides, not just one side." Richards has recently set up a charity game and a few hockey clinics to raise money for Hurricane Sandy victims.

Brad Richards will lead a bunch of Ranger players as well as a number of ringers against Philadelphia players in a charity game to assist those in need as a result of Hurricane Sandy Saturday night. The Ranger team will feature Richards, Henrik Lundqvist, Dan Girardi, Steve Eminger, Brian Boyle, Marc Staal, Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry, Ville Leino, Jeff Halpern, James Neal, Matt Martin and Taylor Pyatt. The Flyers will ice a squad including Andy Greene, Brodeur, Clarkson, Steven Stamkos, James vanRiemsdyk, Simon Gagne, Kimmo Timonen, John Carlson, Braydon Coburn, Wayne Simmonds, Daniel Carcillo, Scott Hartnell, Justin Williams, Jody Shelley and Steve Downie. Nice touch by these players to do something positive during the lockout.

Brad Richards harbors no ill feelings toward frustrated fans. "Whatever the fans feel, it's 100-percent warranted," Richards said. "The fans are the reason the NHL is what it is, and they have every right to be frustrated. But the players are, too. We're frustrated, big time. We want this over with so we can get back onto the ice and play. Definitely there are a lot of people being hurt here and we're all sorry for that." Richards will hit the ice with a number of NHLers on Nov. 24 in a charity game benefitting the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Brad Richards and some of his New York Rangers teammates are holding a couple of hockey clinics in New York on Friday, with all proceeds going towards the Hurricane Sandy relief effort. Marian Gaborik, Marc Staal, Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi, Brian Boyle, Carl Hagelin and Steve Eminger will join Richards in running the two one-hour clinics. The event will take place at the Staten Island Skating Pavilion. The donation is $75.

Brad Richards skated Monday at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon with ex-Tampa Bay teammates Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. However, he is set to return to New York to help out victims of Hurricane Sandy with some fellow Rangers. "When it first happened, being in Manhattan with no power, you didn't really know how bad it was," he said. "Now, being down here and seeing it on TV and seeing the stories about people who haven't been helped yet, you can see how widespread the destruction was."

Brad Richards has no immediate plans to go to Europe during the lockout. Coach John Tortorella spoke to Richards and Rangers captain Ryan Callahan prior to the lockout about the importance of "maintaining structure" and conditioning at a high level during the voluntary skates and scrimmages. "I am staying here for the fall," Richards said. "Not thinking about anything until at least Christmas. Going to train, skate and be ready."

Count Brad Richards among the players that are unsure when the 2012-13 season will begin. "It's something I think about every day," said Richards. "Lots of teams want to get out and play. This time of year is an exciting time. It's tough to sit here and wait and speculate." He appeared in seven games with Kazan Ak-Bars in Russia during the 2004-05 lockout.

Brad Richards didn't score a goal in the Eastern Conference Finals against New Jersey. He contributed four assists during the six-game series and mustered 16 shots, but he couldn't beat Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur. The Rangers' other top sniper, Marian Gaborik, netted just one goal in the series as offense was hard to come by the Blueshirts throughout their postseason run. It is something that coach John Tortorella wants to see improvement in next year.

Unlike the last Eastern Conference final Game 6 against the Devils, the Rangers won't be making any assurances of a win in this one. Eighteen years ago Thursday, captain Mark Messier guaranteed that the Rangers would win Game 6 in New Jersey to force a Game 7. New York is obviously in the same exact situation, down 3-2 to the Devils in this series and needing a victory to force a final game at Madison Square Garden. But that doesn't mean the pre-game script will play at the same way. "We haven't really thought about it," Brad Richards said. "No disrespect to history, but we're worried about ourselves. We want to create our own story and that's what we're here to do."