low was the fact that the Badgers twice held the lead
in the third period but couldn't close out Michigan.
"That was another dagger,'' said Richter.
The team's goal was to get to the Bradley Center,
the site for the annual Badger Hockey Showdown
in late December; an event that was discontinued
in Milwaukee following the 2002 season.
Instead it was Michigan that advanced to the
NCAA semifinals, where the Wolverines lost in
overtime to Maine, which went on to win the 1993
crown over Lake Superior State.
Not too many months later, Roberts and Richter became teammates on the U.S. National Team,
which played an ambitious schedule in preparation
for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway.
"At the time (August of '93), I said to myself,
'Why not stay with the national team and travel the
world and do that type of thing?''' said Richter, who
was still the property of the Hartford Whalers.
"It's everyone's dream to go and play in the Olympics. Hartford didn't really pressure me either way.
Maybe they didn't like it because I didn't go to
(training) camp and stayed with the U.S. team.''
In early November of '93 the Whalers traded
Steve Larmer, Nick Kypreos, Richter and a sixthround choice in the 1994 draft to the New York
Rangers for Darren Turcotte and James Patrick.
After the Olympics, Richter played 21 games for
Binghamton, the Rangers' farm team in the American Hockey League, and then joined the parent
club during its stretch drive to the Stanley Cup.
"We had about eight defenseman,'' Richter said,
"and there would have had to be two injuries before
I got in (dressed for games). They had a solid team
at the time.''
Richter was one of the "Black Aces'' ― healthy
scratches from the lineup ― and watched from the
press box as the Rangers ended a 54-year championship drought in the '94 finals against Vancouver.
New York's goalie was Mike Richter, a former
Badger but no relation. Barry Richter played 163
games in Binghamton and only four with the Rang-
Description
33
