Flyers' Mike Richards to have shoulder surgery

Flyers captain Mike Richards will have surgery this week to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, and also needs surgery on his left shoulder and faces to 10 to 12 weeks of rehabilitation.

Richards will have surgery on the right shoulder Friday and then have the left one repaired once he regains motion on his right side.

Richards said his shoulders have been bothering him since training camp. He couldn't pinpoint a game or a date when they started to hurt. Even with a pair of hurt shoulders, Richards had 30 goals and 80 points this season and helped the Flyers reach the playoffs. He used anti-inflammatory medication to keep the pain down.

"There were certain days that were a lot worse than other days," Richards said on Wednesday. "But it wasn't like I was in agony or throbbing pain. It was more of like achy and sore. Like if you slept on it bad, you would wake up sore. But it wasn't like it was really bad pain where I couldn't bear it or anything."

His 80 points were second on the team behind Jeff Carter. Richards added a goal and four assists in the first round of the playoffs as the Flyers fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

Richards signed a 12-year, $69 million contract extension in December 2007.