Brad Richards critical of the evolution of the game on his way out.

Now that long time National Hockey League forward Brad Richards has officially retired, he has been seemingly comfortable sharing his opinion on the topic of the current state of hockey.

In recent comments reported by Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski, Richards opened up about how he feels the game has evolved since he entered the league, and while he didn't come right out and say as much, it certainly sounded like he wasn't a fan of this evolution.

“The game has changed so much from when I came into the League,” said Richards during an interview with TSN's 1050 radio. “I don’t want to sound older, and ‘everything that’s better back in the day,’ but a little bit of creativity is gone from the game.”

More from Richards via Yahoo's Greg Wyshynski:

“That’s part of the reason why retirement has become reality for me. These guys now are 20 years old, they’re machines. The game has changed so much from when I came into the League. Even since the rule changes in ’06, it’s such a straight-forward sprint out there now, and the east-west … there’s not many guys that play that way anymore. Kaner in Chicago a little bit. Crosby a little bit. But it’s so straight forward and that’s just the way it’s coached now. Driving the net, the speed, and crashing … everything is get pucks to the net, create rebounds. It’s a different game. I don’t want to sound older, and ‘everything that’s better back in the day,’ but a little bit of creativity is gone from the game.”

It's been a common complaint among old school hockey fans, and Richards is an old school hockey player who appears to feel the same way many of those fans do. Richards admitted that he doesn't expect anything to change anytime soon.

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Editor's Note: This article originally and incorrectly attributed the interview, to Yahoo's Greg Wyshynki rather than TSN's 1050 radio.