Panthers suspend equipment manager after domestic battery arrest
An accomplished member of the hockey community is behind bars.
According to reports, Florida Panthers equipment manager Thaddeus “Teddy” Richards was arrested on Friday in Coral Springs, Fla., and was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery/domestic violence, along with another count of unauthorized use of 911 services.
The Panthers issued a statement recognizing the charges against Richards and announcing that “effective immediately, he will be suspended from all team activities pending investigation.”
Richards is currently being held at the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale, though bond was reportedly not listed on the county clerk of courts website.
The Wilkes-Barre, Pa. native has been the Panthers’ head equipment manager since the 2016-17 season. Prior to that, he spent three seasons as an assistant equipment manager with the Pittsburgh Penguins, seeing the team win a Stanley Cup in 2016. Before moving to Pittsburgh, Richards worked for his hometown Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Pittsburgh’s American Hockey League affiliate, serving as assistant EM from 2002 to 2006, before becoming the head guy prior to the 2006-07 campaign, a role he held before joining the big club in 2013.
In Florida, he has seen the team become one of the top teams in the NHL, going from a meddling club to a championship contender. Richards was on the bench as the team made it to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, winning the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025, beating the Edmonton Oilers each time. He earned a distinct reputation across the hockey landscape, as he was named an equipment manager for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025, staying with USA Hockey through this past season, working with the American squad that won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, before serving the U.S. at the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship in Switzerland this past spring.
