Mike Richards Charged with Possession of Controlled Substance

The incident involving NHL free agent Mike Richards at the Canadian border in June was finally given some clarity Thursday, as the two-time Stanley Cup winner was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of Manitoba, Richards will appear in court Sept. 10 for a hearing regarding the charge against him.

Per Helene Elliott and Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times, the former Los Angeles Kings star was held at the Manitoba border crossing for four hours in June due to alleged possession of OxyContin pills.

The Kings subsequently terminated the remaining five years of Richards' contract and offered this explanation for the decision, according to ESPN.com's Katie Strang: "The Los Angeles Kings today have exercised the team's right to terminate the contract of Mike Richards for a material breach of the requirements of his Standard Player's Contract."

In terminating the 30-year-old veteran's contract on those grounds rather than buying him out, the Kings are no longer responsible for paying out any portion of the deal. That led to the National Hockey League Players Association filing a grievance on Richards' behalf.

That process is still playing out, and TSN's Eric Macramalla believes the NHLPA has the upper hand in the matter:

The Kenora, Ontario, Canada, native has spent a total of nine seasons in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers and Kings, with one All-Star appearance to his credit.

His production has floundered in recent years, though, which resulted in L.A. sending him down to the AHL for 16 games this past season.

Richards' on-ice performance may have made it difficult for him to latch on with another team in 2015-16 to begin with, and it remains to be seen how his playing status will be impacted now that charges have been levied. 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.