BATON ROUGE - The newest addition to the Baton Rouge Zydeco, Bradley Richardson, grew up in Canada, despite being the only player on the roster from Louisiana. 

That's because his father, Bryan Richardson, was a captain during the Baton Rouge Kingfish's final season in 2002-2003 and their all-time goal scorer.

"My dad had me on skates probably ever since I could walk," Bradley said. "I loved watching him play. I always had a stick in my hand whenever I could. I was running around, following him in the dressing rooms, wherever. So I would say I definitely got the love from watching him play and then definitely playing it for myself just sold it for sure."

Bryan looks back at his time with the Kingfish positively, and appreciated the fans' support for the franchise.

"Just great, great memories," Bryan said. "The people, the fans were crazy. Like, when I first started there, we were probably averaging around 6000 fans a game, which for minor pro hockey is pretty good. I remember I actually had pictures of sitting with Brad signing autographs at the table when fans would come after the game and, you know, that kind of stuff. It never gets old."

Bryan described Bradley as a "big kid with super skill" with good hand-eye coordination who can read the play well, while Bradley described himself as a goal scorer who can lay big hits if the team needed him to be more physical.

However, the Canadian family's time in the state left a positive impact on them, and they claim to be "the biggest LSU fans in Canada" as a result.

"I think the fans are the best thing about Louisiana and not just hockey, but just like in general, because I'm a big LSU fan, I always have been," Bryan said. "And just to watch the stadium get packed every single weekend for that team is amazing. It definitely changes the atmosphere of the game and I want them to know that for sure, that they influence the game 100% when they're cheering loud for for the guys. We, [the athletes] can hear you."

Bradley hopes his play and the Zydeco as a whole, can inspire a generation of Louisiana-born hockey players. So far, Louisiana has only produced one.

"You know what? I would love to see a bunch of little kids grow up around this town and start to blow up the NHL with hockey players," Bradley said. "You know, it'd be special to see a bunch of kids come from Louisiana because you don't really hear it much in the NHL."