The James Neal-Brad Richards-Loui Eriksson line that powers the Dallas Stars doesn't have a name, but it does have a definite style, on and off the ice.
It's simply known as Richards's line, which is apt since he sets the style as the centre and setup man on the ice, with 16 assists in 19 games, and as the mentor off the ice to his two younger wingers. Richards, 29, who is seven years older than his left winger Neal and five years older than Eriksson, takes the role of mentor seriously enough to have Neal living with him.
The living arrangement predates the formation of the line, which happened in training camp. Richards, who admits he took a long time to adjust to the Stars after being traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning in February of 2008, sees his off-ice job as passing along the lessons of being a professional hockey player he learned from his former coach, John Tortorella.
Richards is not doing a bad job, it seems, as the line has accounted for 26 of the Stars' 62 goals. Neal, who scored 24 last season as a rookie to draw some notice, has 11 goals in 19 games while Eriksson, who scored 36 last season, has nine.
"The everyday life in the NHL comes with a lot and he helped me out so much in learning how to be a pro," Neal said of Richards.
Neal, a native of Whitby, Ont., admits he sometimes gets too emotional about the ups and downs of the game. Richards, as laidback as most Prince Edward Islanders, says his younger charge needs to be reminded of the details as well.
"It's a constant battle with him," Richards said. "He's a young guy with a lot of talent and enthusiasm about how to be a good professional. We got the lessons drilled into our minds growing up with Torts as a coach in Tampa.
"You get a lot of good habits. You do see the game a little differently if someone teaches you the details like that."
The details, Richards said, are nothing major, just a lot of little things younger players tend not to think about.
"Yeah, it's mostly on the defensive side of the game," he said. "I think James's battle is sometimes he just wants to keep his speed and plow circles out there. Sometimes that hampers your ability to go in and keep pucks and control the cycle, play a good down-low game.
"The NHL is tough [against]the rush now. So it's those little things like turning the pucks over at the blueline. We don't want to be in our end zone too much. We want to be down at the other end."
Richards said both Eriksson, who is in his fourth NHL season after arriving from Sweden, and Neal are a pleasure to teach. He was paired with Eriksson for the last half of last season and Neal joined the line this September.
"I think both of them want to learn," he said. "They are both always talking, always together. And both of them are never satisfied, which is the good thing."
At 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, Neal is the biggest man on the line, which makes him the most physical player as well as the sniper.
"Brad and Loui worked well together last year," Neal said. "Brad is so good at finding the open guy and pulling D-men [defencemen]into him and dishing it off. He showed that last year - look at how many goals Loui scored.
"I just try to fit myself in, try to be a physical presence but at the same time be good around the net and always shoot the puck."
The line will be broken up for the next two games, however, because Neal was suspended by the NHL yesterday for a hit from behind on Derek Dorsett that left the Columbus Blue Jackets forward with a head injury. Neal charged into Dorsett and drove his head into the glass during the Stars' 4-1 loss to Columbus on Thursday.