We can pinpoint the exact time and place that newcomer Bruce Richardson, after a rather inauspicious start, made his first major impression with the Wichita Thunder.
Near the left faceoff circle, the 15:33 mark of game No. 4.
Up to that point, the veteran forward, Wichita's biggest off-season acquisition, had one goal to his credit but no signature moment.
That changed when the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Richardson squared off with Youngstown's mountainous defenseman, the 6-6, 240-pound Milan Maslonka.
The fight itself was uneventful -- neither player landed a solid blow before they both fell to the ice -- but the point was certainly made.
"It showed," Thunder coach Mark French said, "that he's not going to back down from anyone."
In the interest of full disclosure, it's important to note that Richardson didn't exactly intend to trade blows with Maslonka. Instead, Richardson challenged Bryan Lachapelle, who checks in at a more-manageable 5-9, but Maslonka skated in to fight the battle.
To say Richardson was thrilled with the turn of events would be inaccurate, but he wasn't intimidated, either.
"I didn't want to fight that guy -- what can I do against someone so big -- but I had to go, even if it was stupid on my part," Richardson said. "What was I gonna do? I wasn't gonna back up."
That grittiness is just one reason French was so excited to sign the 30-year-old as one of the team's four veterans.
Richardson also brings knowledge of the game and leadership ability that comes with an 11-year professional career, which includes stints in the higher-level American Hockey League and East Coast Hockey League.
"I think one day Bruce will be a coach, because he knows the game very well, and he has a very good leadership sense about him," French said. "By his actions on the ice, he shows the younger player what a true professional is.
"He competes hard every shift, every game. Just as an example, whether it's practice or not, he'll block shots and sacrifice his body to keep pucks from going in the net."
Another veteran forward, Travis Clayton, is generally acknowledged to be the hardest worker on the Thunder team. Richardson is a close second, according to goalie Sebastien Laplante.
"He goes all out, all the time," Laplante said. "And he's always talking, and it's always something constructive to make us a better team. When you see a guy whose been a professional for 11 years work like that and act like that, it really makes an impression."
The intangibles that Richardson has brought to Wichita are clear, but he also possesses enough skill to be a difference-maker. In the Thunder's first win of the season -- a 3-0 victory over Oklahoma City on Saturday -- he had two goals and an assist.
Through five games, he leads the team with five points and he's one of only two forwards with a positive plus-minus rating. (Kyle Bruce is also plus 1.)
Richardson, who had hip injury during the offseason, was obviously pleased after the victory. He even called it one of the biggest wins he has been a part of.
But there also seemed to be a sense of relief.
"For sure, for the first four games, I wasn't happy with my play," he said. "I felt like a rookie trying to prove myself with the new team. There was some pressure. I wasn't the Bruce Richardson I know I can be."
Tulsa 4, Wichita 2 -- Tulsa scored three first-period goals during a 2 minutes, 50 seconds on Friday. The Thunder got second-period goals from Mathieu Waltier and Krib Wiebe, but never cut trailed by less than two goals.
| Wichita | 0 2 0 -- 2 |
| Tulsa | 3 1 0 -- 4 |
