Mark Richardson: Cardiff Devils defenceman prepares for 18th Elite League season

It was another acknowledgement of a man who in recent seasons has reached a couple of career milestones that few in any sport get to achieve.

In May 2022, Richardson became the fifth player to hit the 100-cap mark for Great Britain.

Then in January 2023, Richardson became only the third man to have played 1,000 games in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) following two Cardiff-born former Devils players - Jonathan Phillips and Matthew Myers.

Add to that a brief stint in Kazakhstan, a season in Germany and numerous appearances in the European Continental Cup and Champions Hockey League, 36-year-old Richardson has played a lot of hockey.

And he is about to play a whole lot more.

The 2023-24 EIHL campaign starts this weekend and for Richardson it will be his 18th season playing at the top level of UK hockey.

Richardson grew up in the Wiltshire town of Swindon where the local team - the Wildcats - have consistently produced talent who have gone on to play hockey for a living.

His journey into the sport became a family affair.

"Some neighbours who lived just down the road took my older brother to watch a game in Swindon and he wanted to give it a try, and then my sister Kim, myself and my younger brother Grant too," said Richardson.

"From that moment we lived at the rink throughout our childhood."

And hooked on hockey the Richardsons remained.

Lee Richardson went on to play for Coventry Blaze, having previously spent a season at Cardiff Devils with Mark.

Kim suited up for Swindon TopCats in the British Women's Premier League, while the youngest Richardson, Grant, played for Swindon Wildcats and as recently as 2022 for Bristol Pitbulls in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL).

Mark's career started as a teenager playing as a forward for Swindon Lynx senior men's team in the English Premier Ice Hockey League.

"They were a team that were struggling for numbers, and to get that chance to play big minutes of men's hockey aged 15 or 16 was a huge opportunity for me," he said.

After leaving school Richardson then played in the British National League (BNL) for Bracknell where imports were restricted to eight players.

"I feel I was very fortunate to go there, for a British player to play a lot, to get that experience, move away from home and grow up a bit was really valuable," Richardson said.

"To just play hockey full time as a 16-year-old was a dream come true."

After scoring 21 goals in two seasons for Bracknell and having debuted for the British national side at the age of 18, the call came from the place that was eventually to become home for him.

In the mid 2000s Pete Russell - the current head coach of Cardiff Devils and Great Britain - who was director of player development, persuaded the Devils that the emerging Richardson would be one to sign.

"It was a great experience," Richardson said. "I'd played in the Wales National Ice Rink as a junior and for Bracknell in the Crossover League many times.

"It was an old rink, it was a bit dark, but the atmosphere in there was unbelievable."

In the summer of 2007, Richardson made the move to Nottingham Panthers.

"It was a chance to get on a bigger ice, Nottingham were the big club to put myself in the spotlight," added Richardson.

"In some ways I wish I'd never left Cardiff, but in other ways it eventually worked out for the best."

Richardson's first season at the Panthers turned out to be tough one, suffering various injuries that led him to question whether he wanted to carry on playing hockey.

So he went to Basingstoke to hook up with an old friend from Swindon, Ryan Aldridge, who was the coach at the Bisons.

"I was at a bit of a crossroads about what I wanted to do," Richardson said.

"It was an opportunity to go and enjoy playing again. Even though we were a lower-budget team it was a very good decision. I played so many minutes I got that love back for the game again."

After a couple of months, though, ownership issues at Basingstoke saw players not being paid, leading to Richardson and other players leaving the club.

A return to Nottingham Panthers became possible, but as a defenceman.

Former Bracknell teammate Danny Meyers, who was at the Panthers, acted as a go-between.

Richardson recalled: "Danny asked me, 'have you ever played D?' I said, 'no, but I'll give it a go'.

"Maybe a little white lie from Danny to the coach, Corey Neilson, saying that I had played D before, so in I went!

"It was very strange at first, I was more of a defensive forward so it wasn't too tough on the mind, but adjusting to skating backwards and stuff like that was challenging.

"The transition to defenceman turned out to be the best thing that happened to me in my career."

Richardson's successful conversion had been noticed elsewhere and in 2009 the Cardiff Devils player-coach Gerad Adams offered Richardson a leading role in his team.

"The opportunity in Cardiff was to play more minutes with them than I would at the Panthers and as much as I enjoyed my time in Nottingham and was treated very well there, I was thrilled to come back," he said.

After a few seasons back in the Welsh capital, Richardson decided to take up an offer to play in Kazakhstan.

"Back then for British players to get a job abroad and experience another country was very hard," said Richardson.

"It just seemed to me that it was the right opportunity to go and try something different, because you never know if you'll get that chance again.

"It was very intense, lots of games, some 30-hour journeys. You were at the rink or you were resting.

"Unfortunately for me the problem was to get my family out to visit, and when they could come one half-term holiday we were on a two-week road trip.

"It just didn't fit and obviously family comes first, so that's the reason why I returned to Cardiff.

"To go and see a country like Kazakhstan was a very good experience though.

"Just seeing how hard you had to work out there was an eye-opener about how hard you can push yourself during the season, and being on the ice that much was always going to be a positive for your game overall."

After five months in central Asia, Richardson returned to Cardiff during what was to become an increasingly unstable time at the club.

"I was very fortunate that the Devils welcomed me back with open arms," said Richardson.

"There were a lot of ups and downs during those few years, different owners, everyone trying their best for the club off the ice but turbulent times.

"It was still so enjoyable though to play in Cardiff in front of the fans.

"We very rarely lost in the Big Blue Tent, it was always rocking in there and we were always a bit of an underdog."

By the end of the 2014 season the situation at Cardiff had become precarious.

"It was probably the most disappointing season in Cardiff Devils history not making the play-offs," said Richardson.

"A lot of players were talking to other teams, myself included, because we didn't know what was going to happen."

Devils stalwart and long-time former player Neil Francis persuaded Richardson to hang fire.

"Franny said, 'look something is going to happen, just be patient'," Richardson said.

"I was like, 'I'm putting a lot of trust in you here Franny.'

"But that trust was rewarded and a few weeks later the new ownership group was announced; Todd (Kelman) came over from Belfast, Andrew Lord was announced as coach and had only a very short window to recruit players.

"Somehow though, that group of players gelled together so quickly."

Whirlwind times

Less than nine months later the Devils found themselves facing Sheffield Steelers in Sheffield in front of more than 7,000 fans in the Challenge Cup Final.

A strong defensive performance, with 25 saves out of 26 shots by Ben Bowns, and goals from Lord and centreman Chris Culligan saw the Devils win 2-1 and lift their first trophy in eight years.

"I've lost count of how many play-off finals I've lost in penalty shootouts or by one goal, and some of them when we probably shouldn't have even been there, we were short of so many players," added Richardson.

"To finally get that first trophy was amazing.

"That was such a whirlwind. It had just gone from so negative to so positive, and I'm sure now guys will say that it was one of the best years of their careers."

The Devils went on to become one of the leading teams in the Elite League, winning two Championships, two play-off finals and another Challenge Cup over the next four seasons.

When the Elite League was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Richardson went to Germany to play for EC Bad Nauheim in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

Travel restrictions, a dose of Covid-19 and a broken cheekbone meant that Richardson did not see his family for seven months.

"That was extremely tough," said Richardson. "I will be forever grateful to my wife, Sarah, for everything she did during that time.

"She was with my daughter home schooling and working from home to keep her business running, whilst I was away so that I could just keep playing hockey.

"Eventually the season was cut short a few games in Germany because of more Covid cases and I was back in quarantine, but luckily I tested negative just to get home."

Richardson is by far the longest serving player in the current Cardiff Devils squad and you would get very short odds on whose shirt number will be the next to be retired by the club after he has hung up his skates and stick.

Richardson is far from finished yet though.

After a disappointing season last year when the Devils finished fourth in the league and lost the play-off final to the treble-winning Belfast Giants, there is a determination at the club to mount a serious challenge this year, but they know it will be demanding.

"Probably the hardest thing about playing in this league is that you can't have a night off and the guys understand that, but the vibe's been really good so far," said Richardson.

"If we take that into the weekend and we just worry about ourselves, we'll be fine.

"It's definitely time to win more trophies.

"That's why we play the game, they are the years you remember and the teammates that you won those trophies with, and when you finish playing they'll be the memories that you hold onto.

"I feel so privileged to be able to do a job I love for a club that is run the right way with such passionate fans.

"And to be in a city which is now home to me and my family, it just means everything."

Cardiff Devils open their Elite League campaign on the weekend with two fixtures, at home against Glasgow Clan on Saturday, 30 September before travelling to face the Steelers the next day.