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Mike Richards charged with possession of controlled substance

Los Angeles Kings v New York Rangers

Los Angeles Kings v New York Rangers

NHLI via Getty Images

The Manitoba RCMP have announced that former Kings forward Mike Richards has been charged with possession of a controlled substance while entering Canada.

The announcement, which came Thursday morning, comes after a tumultuous summer in which Richards had his contract with Los Angeles terminated for a “material breach,” only for the NHLPA to later file a grievance on his behalf.

Shortly after the contract termination, TMZ reported that Richards’ border incident involved Oxycodone.

Per a recent report from TSN, sources claim police found “some pills in a single bottle” during a search, adding that “it was clearly intended for his personal use.”

Today, Manitoba RCMP confirmed that on June 17, Richards was involved in an incident at the Emerson Border Crossing that eventually led to his arrest (on August 25). Per ESPN, Kings GM Dean Lombardi reportedly told some GMs of the Richards situation at the NHL Entry Draft, which was held in Florida on June 26-27.

Two days after the draft, Los Angeles terminated Richards’ contract.

As for the next steps, Richards will now appear in Provincial Court on Sept. 10 and, though he was charged earlier this week, still needs to enter a plea.

Per Sportsnet, the NHL and NHLPA have yet to set a date for Richards’ grievance.