EMERSON, Man. — Police in Manitoba have charged NHL player Mike Richards with possession of a controlled substance.
The RCMP say he is due to appear in provincial court in Emerson, Man., on Sept. 10.
Police say a 30-year-old male was arrested and released on June 17 after the Emerson RCMP detachment was notified that a controlled substance had been intercepted by Canada Border Services Agency officers at the Emerson port of entry. Emerson is about 100 kilometres south of Winnipeg, on the North Dakota border.
Richards was formally charged on Tuesday, according to a news release from the RCMP.
The native of Kenora, Ont., is currently a free agent after the Los Angeles Kings terminated his contract earlier this summer, citing a "material breach" of that contract.
The NHL Players' Association has filed a grievance on behalf of Richards against the Kings contesting that termination. The NHLPA says a date to hear his grievance has not been set.
Richards had five years and US$22 million left on his contract with the Kings before they terminated it after speculation that they would buy it out.
Richards has played 10 NHL seasons with the Kings and Philadelphia Flyers, recording 179 goals and 303 assists in 710 regular-season games.
After winning two gold medals representing Canada at the world junior hockey championships, Richards won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and then two Stanley Cups with Los Angeles.
Signed to a $69-million, 12-year contract by the Flyers in 2007, Richards led them to the 2010 Cup final and was one of the faces of that franchise until he was traded to the Kings in 2011.
His production declined last season, leading the Kings to putting Richards on waivers at the all-star break and sending him to the American Hockey League's Manchester Monarchs.
The Kings brought Richards back later in the season but opted to put him on buyout waivers in June.
On June 29, the club announced it had terminated his contract, saying in a brief statement: "We are not prepared to provide any more detail or to discuss the underlying grounds for the contract termination at this time."
