The Philadelphia Inquirer published an article yesterday titled “Flourtown’s Mike Richter isn’t in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He should be.“

The article outlines the domestic and international career of Richter, a 1985 graduate of Germantown Academy in Fort Washington.

An excerpt:

While Richter’s .904 career save percentage might not pop off the page at first, look a little closer and account for the era he played in, and it paints a different picture. The league average save percentage during Richter’s 14-year career was .898, and in the .880s during his first four seasons.

Richter’s save percentage and goals-against average numbers are also better than contemporaries like Barrasso (.892, 3.24), Mike Vernon (.889, 3.00), and Grant Fuhr (.887, 3.38), who have all been inducted over the past 25 years. Belfour, another Hall of Famer from that era, had a .906 career save percentage.

The U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer is one of just 19 goalies ever to have 300 wins, a career save percentage over .900, and over 90 goals saved above average, according to Hockey Reference. He was also at his best in the biggest games, posting a .909 career save percentage over 76 playoff contests.

The former Germantown Academy goalie’s resumé also includes a Stanley Cup. The athletic goalie would go on to make saves without his glove, do improbable splits, stop Pavel Bure’s famous penalty-shot attempt, and stand taller than his 5-foot-11 frame — all while helping the Rangers break a 52-year curse on the way to the 1994 Stanley Cup.

By the end of his 14-year career and 666 regular-season games, Richter was a three-time NHL All-Star, including an MVP turn in the 1994 game at his home rink, Madison Square Garden. He also backstopped the Rangers to the 1997 Eastern Conference Final, falling to his favorite team growing up, the Flyers.

He was inducted into Germantown Academy’s Hall of Fame in 1996. From his biography:

Mike Richter ’85 is one of the most famous scholar-athletes to grace the halls of GA. Richter was the captain of the U.S. Ice Hockey Team in the 1988 Olympics and has played for the New York Rangers ever since. In 1994, he led the Rangers to a Stanley Cup Championship and was voted the Most Valuable Player of the final game. His most recent honors include a starting spot on the U.S. World Cup team. Richter led the U.S. squad to their first ever championship over the reigning champion Canadian team. He was voted Most Valuable Player in the final game of this championship series as well.

Photo: thenhl.fandom.com