Richardson pens 2 year deal

Devils team Captain Mark Richardson has agreed a 2-year deal to stay with the Cardiff Devils.

The Cardiff Devils are delighted to announce the re-signing of team Captain Mark Richardson, and have agreed a two-year contract with the Swindon man.

Less than 24 hours after renewing his own contract, Devils' Head Coach Gerad Adams ensured that Richardson, one of the most highly sought-after British players in the game will remain a Devil until 2012.

Adams moved swiftly to re-sign a key player and is in talks with other key members of the Devils 2009/10 squad. He is clearly excited about this signing, saying:

"I'm jumping out of my chair over this one. Richie has only been playing defence for a short while and it is already clear that he can be the best British defenceman in the country. His level of composure, maturity and consistency is a model for any young players out there and I am delighted to have such a great signing to announce for the fans after their terrific support this weekend (at the playoff finals weekend in Nottingham where Devils lost by a single goal in a penalty shootout)."

Adams has been busy indeed and hinted toward his plans:

"I hope to have more great news for Devils fans over the next few days to get the off-season off to a strong start. We already have Ryan Finnerty and Stevie Lyle signed for next year and they, like me, are very excited about building on this year's performance. Now with Richie back too we have a strong, talented and competitive spine upon which to build the team."

Richardson, in his second spell in Cardiff, announced his quality as a defenceman to Devils fans early in the season and his on-ice leadership was self-evident. He displayed these abilities most ably in a win over arch-rival Sheffield Steelers early in the campaign. Devils, down 4 imports due to suspensions, produced an incredibly gritty performance to defeat the Steelers with Richardson logging huge ice time and scoring arguably the goal of the season, carving the visitors to pieces from inside his own end to eventually fire the puck home.

These traits culminated in him being awarded the 'C' of team captaincy before season's end, relieving the pressure on the iconic Brad Voth, who Devils feel became a target of the officiating.

Richardson is a self-confessed fan of the city and a top priority target for every Devils fan, this is excellent news for the Red Army. Other teams who certainly coveted his services will now havbe to look elsewhere for that most rare of things - an elite level British Defenceman.

Season ticket sales now stand at 319 and rising, and if Coach Adams keeps rolling out the good news that number is certain to dramatically increase.

So what's next ?

"I am talking to some guys from the team that I want to get locked down and I am hopeful we will get there" says Adams. "In addition I have a new guy, a proven goalscorer that has me very excited who I hope to be able to announce before too long and I am talking to a big, strong defencemen who will make sure nobody gets much time or space to think in our zone."

Last season Adams moved very quickly to make several signings and his phone and office door have been extremely busy since his return from the playoffs. Keep your eyes on cardiffdevils.com and The South Wales Echo for more signing news and interviews.

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