Thaddeus “Teddy” Richards, who serves as the equipment manager for the USA men’s national hockey team and the Florida Panthers, was arrested on Friday.
The 43-year-old Richards faced misdemeanor charges related to assault/domestic violence and misuse of 911 services, as reported in online records. The incident took place in Coral Springs, Florida, and he was held at Broward Main Prison in Fort Lauderdale as of Friday night.
The Florida Panthers issued a statement acknowledging the situation, stating, “The organization has become aware of an incident involving the arrest of Equipment Manager Teddy Richards.” They went on to say that he has been suspended from all team activities and facilities while an investigation is ongoing.
Attempts to get a comment from USA Hockey did not yield an immediate response.
Richards, a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania native, began his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. He worked with their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, from 2002 to 2013. After that, he was promoted to assistant equipment manager for the Penguins, remaining there even during their 2016 Stanley Cup win before moving to the Panthers for the 2016-17 season.
He has been part of the Panthers during their Stanley Cup championships in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. His work for the Penguins included time with head coach Mike Sullivan, who led Team USA during the recent NHL Quadrangle and the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Richards’ connection with Sullivan was significant in securing his current role with Team USA.
