Team USA men’s national hockey team and Florida Panthers equipment manager Thaddeus “Teddy” Richards was arrested Friday in Florida on misdemeanor charges of battery/domestic violence and unauthorized use of 911 services, according to The Athletic.
Richards has since been suspended by the Panthers.
The 43-year-old reportedly was arrested in Coral Springs, Fla., and, as of Friday night, was being held at Broward Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“The Florida Panthers organization has been made aware of an incident involving the arrest of Equipment Manager Teddy Richards,” the team public relations account tweeted Friday night. “Effective immediately, he will be suspended from all team activities and facilities pending investigation.”
Richards has served as the Panthers’ equipment manager since the 2016-17 season, according to the Team USA bio, which includes the team’s back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025.
He added Team USA head equipment manager duties last year, serving in that role for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Games during which the Americans won the gold medal.
The Team USA bio also states he worked the 2026 IIHF men’s world championship event as the Team USA equipment manager.
“Surreal is a good word,” Richards told the Miami Herald in March. “You’re chasing dreams and fantasies that are somehow coming true for me.”
Before joining the Panthers, Richards worked for the Penguins for 14 years, including 11 with the team’s AHL affiliate and three as the franchise’s assistant equipment manager, per his bio.
His time with the franchise included the Penguins’ Stanley Cup-winning season in 2016.
“A very genuine answer is, hockey has been very good to my family,” Richards told the Miami Herald. “We are able to we live a nice life. It’s long hours, but I think no matter what I would do in life, there’d be long hours as well. You know, my dad was a bus driver. It’s definitely not as a glamorous position, but he worked very long hours as well. But he enjoyed it, and that was able to open up doors for myself.
“I think that’s the biggest thing. I do enjoy it.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
