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Page 10 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 1, 1984
FORMER 'M' STAR PLAYING FOR RANGERS
NHL s Richmond sticks todefense


By ADAM MARTIN
Steve Richmond may be playing hockey in a unique
city, but New York is his kinda town.
Richmond, who graduated from Michigan after
playing four solid years of hockey for the Wolverines,
has developed a taste for the glamour of the Big Ap-
ple and the New York Ranger organization.
AFTER A YEAR-and-a-half with Tulsa of the Cen-
tral Hockey League, Richmond was called up to the
Rangers in the middle of January on emergency
recall because of a player suspension. He hasn't been
back to Tulsa since. Although Richmond knows his

"We have different speaking engagements all the
time. You're always in the public eye. Every day you
are put on display."
Of course, when you're a newcomer on a playoff
club hovering around first place, the grass is always
greener in the Garden, Madison Square,
that is.
WITH THE Rangers, Richmond plays an
aggressive, defensive, gutsy game - a style ap-
preciated by the fans and coaches.
"They know players like me don't have all the
talent in the world, but they know everyone is born
with a heart. I play with my heart. They know my
style and they appreciate it," he said.
Richmond recalled his first game as a Ranger
when he received three standing ovations after a few
aggressive shifts. Said the 6-0, 202 pound rookie, "I
got involved right away and was appreciated."
THAT APPRECIATION, however, resulted not
from the offensive style of hockey he played at
Michigan, but from a concentration on his job -
defense.
As a Wolverine, Richmond won the Doc Losh
Trophy for scoring leader in 1981 and led in points by
a defenseman (54) the same year. He remembers
receiving recognition only when he piled up the poin-
ts. In one series with Michigan Tech when Richmond
tallied not one point but played what he feels was his
best series ever as a defenseman, "No one said
anything good, it was crazy," said Richmond. "It was
absolutely ridiculous as far as points go."
Things are different now.
"I'M SATISFIED by winning games 3-2, 2-1,"
Richmond said. "Keeping down our goals against is
tops. I take credit in that and try to be proud of it. I
know that if we lose a game 8-7 or even win it and I
score, I didn't do my job."

And Richmond knows that he wouldn't even have
a job if his game hadn't changed. He can thank the
NHL for that.
"Everything is five times as quick here and it's
more physical," he said. Richmond recognizes that
he's playing because of his defensive talent not his
goal scoring ability.
And while the Chicago native admits, "You never
know if you're gonna have a job tomorrow on this
team," his first six weeks in New York have been
agreeable, to say the least.
"I'm here, and I know I can play," Richmond said.
"The Rangers have been great.to me."

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job isn't 100 percent secure, he's basking in the
Rangers' luxurious treatment.
"Everything is first class," Richmond said. '.'We
have chartered flights and we eat steak, lobster and
shrimp. Plus we always get the best equipment."
And there is another side to this glamourous life. In
New York, Richmond has tasted publicity. So far, it's
sweet.
DESPITE THE greatness of the New York Islan-
ders, Richmond feels the Rangers are recognized as
New York's real team. And as a rookie, Richmond
has gotten his share of the spotlight.

Richmond
... enjoying life in the Big Apple

Former Michigan scoring leader Steve Richmond has become a favorite of
both fans and coaches while with the New York Rangers because of his
aggressive style of defense.
May fills void by
performing dUal role

Good friends will give you a break
when you're broke.

By JIM DAVIS
Injuries played havoc with the
Michigan 1983-84 hockey season, and of
all the Wolverines, junior Doug May
was probably affected the most by the
rash of injuries.
The aggressive May was asked to
play both left wing and defense for
Michigan for the second season in a
row, and responded with a solid, yet un-
spectacular year.
"I THOUGHT I contributed, but it
wasn't a great personal performance as
far as goals and assists go, but that
isn't my game," said May, who tallied
five goals and ten assists this season,
almost identical to the production of his
sophomore year (4-10).
"I definitely had a role to play this
year," said the Calgary native. When
defensemen Mike Neff and Greg Hudas
went down with knee injuries in
December, May was called upon by,
coach John Giordano to shift back
behind the blue line from his natural
forward position. May had been used as
a defenseman much of his sophomore
year as well, so the move wasn't a com-
plete surprise.
Giordano shifted the 6-1, 192-pounder
back and forth between defense and left
wing often during the course of games,
which made it hard for May to get un-
tracked at times.
"MOVING BACK AND forth makes it
difficult to get going in one position, but
I'm kind of used to it,"' said May. "The
trouble with that (moving back and for-
th) was I always practiced at forward,
and then when it came time for the
game and a defenseman was needed, it
seemed to be me. But -it's gratifying
that he (Giordano) has the trust in me
that he can move me around."
Toward the end of the team's dissap-
pointing campaign and following Neff's
return to the lineup, May played for-
ward with greater-regularity on a line
with Brad Jones and Tom Stiles. The.
line caught fire and seemed to spark the
goal-starved Wolverines, but Michigan
still managed to miss the playoffs when
the defense and goaltending broke .
DO YOU C
Recommended '"D

down in several key late-season games.
"I prefer to play forward. I think that
I add that type of aggressive corner
work to our forwards," said May. "I
was pleased that coach put me on that
line and I was able to do the job there."
THE JUNIOR IS not the first May to
do the job for the Wolverines. Father
Ed played on a pair of Michigan NCAA
championship teams while earning let-
ters in 1950-51-52, and brother Dennis
donned a Michigan jersey from 1978-82.

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.. versatile icer
The brothers played together during
the 81-82 season, when Doug made the
team as a walk-on. The younger brother
played in 11 games his freshman year.
"That was not bad, coming in as a walk-
on and being able to letter in my first
year," said May.
May's ice time grew considerably in
his sophomore season, when he filled in
on the Wolverine's defense for Gior-
dano. It was the first time he had ever
played defense regularly, seeing action
in most of his 34 games in front of the
Michigan net.
This season, May moved between
positions with frequency, but through it
all he has been a constant member of
the penalty-killing unit. But May's
aggressive style of play did earn him 54
minutes of penalties (second on the
team to Todd Carlile), but in the final
seven games he did not receive a
penalty.
Except maybe not being able to play
in the playoffs.
'ET YOUR
aiil Allowances?

LK
#NW O


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