Photo: USATSI

Hours after signing a prorated one-year, $1 million deal with the Capitals, a contrite and excited Mike Richards spoke to TSN’s Gary Lawless about his new opportunity.

Richards on signing with Washington:

“I’m just really looking forward to getting back to having fun playing the game I love I’m excited and I’ve never felt better. When you’re having fun and relaxed, hockey is easy. When it becomes a burden, a job, I guess, it’s difficult to play at the highest level. It was a forced vacation but the extended stay away from the game has been good for me. It’s given me a chance to see I took coming to the rink and playing hockey for a living for granted.

On what he did since being bought out by the Los Angeles Kings:

“Watching the game on TV, it got the competitive juices going again. I worked out a lot. A lot. It kind of started to get old the last little while. I started working with a new trainer this summer. We’ll see. We focused on getting better at hockey in a few key areas. Getting quicker was the big thing for me. It’s kind of hard to tell when you’re skating by yourself. But we’re going to get a chance to find out.”

Richards on if he can keep up with a league that’s only getting faster:

“Good question. We’re going to find out. I was never the best skater. But I know how to get into position to be effective. We’ll see. I don’t know what role they have planned for me in Washington.”

Sounds like his head is in the right place.