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Grand Rapids Griffins

Former Griffins Helmer and Richards to Enter Halls of Fame

September 29, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Former Grand Rapids Griffins defensemen Bryan Helmer (2004-06) and Travis Richards (1996-2006) have been selected for induction into separate halls of fame in recognition of their career accomplishments.

Today, Helmer was named to the American Hockey League's Hall of Fame Class of 2017 that will be honored on Jan. 30 as part of the 2017 Capital BlueCross AHL All-Star Classic in Allentown, Pa., becoming the first former Griffin to enter the AHL Hall of Fame. Richards, meanwhile, will be inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame during an Oct. 20 ceremony at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.

Richards will join a Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame roster that already includes 2014 inductee Mike Knuble, the Kentwood, Mich., native and current Griffins assistant coach who played one game for the team in the final season (2012-13) of his standout 16-year, 1,068-game NHL career, and Griffins co-owner and chief executive officer Dan DeVos, whose family merited the 2011 Outstanding Team Award and whose 2001 Grand Rapids Rampage ArenaBowl XV championship team was honored in 2014.

Last fall, in celebration of the team's 20th anniversary season, the Griffins included both Helmer and Richards among their "Grandest Griffins," recognizing the 20 most significant players in franchise history. Richards (2003-04) and Helmer (2005-06) earned the additional honor of being named the Griffins' AHL Man of the Year during their careers.

Although undrafted, Helmer went on to play more games and record more assists and points than any defenseman in AHL history. The native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, made his pro debut with the Albany River Rats in 1993 and played five seasons in Albany, helping the club to a Calder Cup championship in 1995 and earning First Team AHL All-Star honors in 1997-98.

He eventually joined the Griffins in 2004, appearing in every game during his two-year stint in West Michigan and helping the club capture the AHL's 2005-06 regular season championship, part of a campaign in which he was named a Second Team AHL All-Star. In 160 games with Grand Rapids, Helmer scored 81 points (19-62 - 81) and registered 202 penalty minutes.

Among his lengthy list of accomplishments and honors, Helmer captained the Hershey Bears to consecutive Calder Cup championships in 2009 and 2010, earned the honor of wearing the "C" for the Canadian team at the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic, and was the recipient of the AHL's Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award in 2010-11 while with Oklahoma City, as the player exemplifying sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey.

Helmer completed his 20-year pro career in 2013, retiring in third place all time with 1,117 regular-season games played, and first among AHL defensemen with 435 assists and 564 points. Helmer also played more postseason games (159) than anyone in AHL history - including seven trips to the conference finals and his three Calder Cups - and he finished with a cumulative plus/minus rating of plus-188, finishing at plus-15 or better eight times.

Known as "Mr. Griffin" during his unmatched 10-year tenure in Grand Rapids, Richards played more games and seasons in Grand Rapids than any other professional athlete in the city's history. Prior to his retirement in 2006, he had the longest continuous stretch of service with one team of any active player in the AHL, and only five pro athletes in the state of Michigan - Kris Draper, Nicklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings, and Jason Hanson and Cory Schlesinger of the Detroit Lions - had at the time logged more consecutive, uninterrupted seasons of play in their uniform.

A native of Crystal, Minn., Richards became the second player and first American to sign with the Griffins on July 26, 1996, and he remains Grand Rapids' all-time leader with 655 games played. He helped lead the Griffins to five division titles, four conference championship appearances and an IHL Turner Cup Finals berth (2000) during his final seven seasons.

Once the Griffins' record-holder with 126 consecutive games played, Richards was a mainstay on the team's blue line during its first eight seasons. He missed only 43 of 650 regular season contests and appeared in all 59 playoff games from 1996-2004, setting a franchise postseason record that was finally tied last season by Nathan Paetsch and Jeff Hoggan.

During his 13-year pro career, Richards garnered such accolades as the captaincy of the PlanetUSA squad at the 2004 AHL All-Star Classic in Grand Rapids and Second Team IHL All-Star honors in 2001. He served three seasons (2001-04) as the Griffins' captain - the second-longest tenure in franchise history, behind Hoggan's four years (2012-16) - and the other seven as an alternate captain, skating alongside 265 teammates through the years.

In addition to his games-played primacy, Richards still ranks among the Griffins' regular season career leaders with a plus-131 rating (1st), 182 assists (2nd), 238 points (2nd), 995 shots (2nd), 24 power play goals (5th) and 502 PIM (6th).

Richards played nearly his entire pro career in West Michigan. After representing the United States at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher made his pro debut with the IHL's Kalamazoo Wings late in the 1993-94 season. He stayed with the Wings through the 1995-96 campaign, also appearing in three NHL games with the parent Dallas Stars.

In addition to Helmer, the new AHL enshrinees consist of Billy Dea, Rob Murray and Doug Yingst, while Richards is part of a group of Grand Rapids inductees that includes football official Jim Augustyn, boxer Buster Mathis Jr., gymnast Katie Teft-Minasola, West Michigan Whitecaps co-owner Denny Baxter, and the Grand Action Committee.

The Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame reception and induction is open to the public. For tickets and additional information, please click here.

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