Larry Brooks

Larry Brooks

Richards-St. Louis bond goes back to first days as teammates

MONTREAL — The friendship began over a hockey stick.

“It was my first training camp practice with the Lightning [in 2000] and I’ll never forget it, we were split into intra-squad groups and stretching before our first scrimmage and this guy on the ice next to me grabbed my stick,” Brad Richards was saying on Sunday afternoon.

“He took the stick, started tapping it on the ice and flexing it, and he said, ‘Hey I like this stick, I like this pattern,’” the Rangers’ de facto captain told The Post. “That was Marty.

“I’d heard the name, Martin St. Louis, I’d known about this French kid being a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award [as the NCAA’s outstanding player] but I’d never met him until then,” Richards said. “And once we met that day, we were friends from that moment on.

“He was just such a positive individual with such a great personality. That hasn’t changed a bit.”

Pain was etched in Richards’ face and in his voice as he spoke softly in the Rangers’ locker room at the Bell Centre not all that long after he and all of his teammates had returned from attending the funeral for St. Louis’ mother, France, in nearby Laval, Quebec.

This was family for Richards, whose presence no doubt has provided some comfort for his friend in the wake of tragedy. Remember this: All of the Rangers were with St. Louis at the airport in Pittsburgh on May 8 when he received the terrible news.

“There’s nothing in life that prepares you for that,” Richards said.

The saga of St. Louis’ grief and the Rangers’ bonding with their teammate of just over two months has become an inspirational narrative in this Stanley Cup playoff run. The Blueshirts have skated a tightrope here, acknowledging the impact Mrs. St. Louis’ death has had on the club — which has not lost a game since the winger returned to Pittsburgh on May 9 for Game 5 after flying home to be with his family a day earlier — while also being very careful not to exploit the tragedy.

The Rangers have hit every right note. Credit the players in the room for that. Credit the organization. Credit the sensitive and enlightened leadership of the coach, Alain Vigneault, who was somber and maybe misty-eyed as he spoke to the media Sunday afternoon.

Vigneault referred to St. Louis having delivered a eulogy for his mom. Richards was overcome by admiration in relating how his friend had spoken at the funeral.

Martin St. Louis of the New York Rangers walks with his wife, Heather, after funeral services for his mother May 18.Paul J. Bereswill

“Incredible; Marty spoke for about 20 minutes, telling stories about his mom, and he spoke in French and English, alternating between the two languages every three sentences or so,” Richards said. “It was perfect. It was so touching. It’s just part of who he is and what makes him such a special person.”

The special relationship between Richards and St. Louis formed quickly and endured when Richards was traded to Dallas in February 2008 and then signed with the Rangers in July 2011 while St. Louis remained in Tampa Bay.

“Right from the start; right from that first day,” said Richards, whose team will aim for a 2-0 lead over the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night. “We think the game and talk the game the same way and we both enjoy doing it.

“Living down in Tampa, I was single, he was married and the door was always open for me. I’d basically camp out at their house, and for some reason, Heather [St. Louis’ wife] put up with me,” Richards said with a half-chuckle. “We see a lot of things the same way and we enjoy each other’s company, and I know how good he has been for me.”

Richards leads the Rangers with five playoff goals, one more than St. Louis and Mats Zuccarello. He is tied for second with St. Louis with 10 playoff points, one less than club-leader Zuccarello. One year ago, of course, Richards was a healthy scratch for the final two games of the Blueshirts’ five-game, second-round defeat by the Bruins.

Martin St. Louis salutes the Madison Square Garden crowd after Game 6.NHLI via Getty Images

“Rock bottom,” he said Sunday. “I was at rock bottom and I turned to Marty to help me rebuild my confidence. He was the perfect guy for me to go to and he was there for me.

“Training with him last summer, I leaned on him,” Richards said. “It was inspirational for me.”

When the Rangers play Game 3 of this series at the Garden on Thursday night, check out the Rangers’ logo at center ice. To the left, there is the numeral 19. To the right, the numeral 26. They of course signify the year the Rangers entered the NHL, 1926.

But 19 and 26 also represent the numbers on the backs of, respectively, Richards and St. Louis.

“I couldn’t ask for a better friend,” Richards said. “Not ever.”