Maurice Richard

Lore & Background

Richard emerged from a poverty-stricken family during the Great Depression, the oldest of eight children. He received his first skates at age four and developed his skills playing shinny and "hog" on local rivers and a backyard rink. He did not play organized hockey until 14, and later used pseudonyms like "Maurice Rochon" to circumvent rules restricting players to one team. At 16, he dropped out of school to work as a machinist. A string of injuries—a broken ankle, broken wrist, and broken leg—prevented him from joining the Canadian military during the Second World War and initially led observers to view him as fragile. He married Lucille Norchet on September 12, 1942, when she was seventeen.

Richard made his NHL debut with the Canadiens in the 1942–43 season, wearing sweater number 15, and scored his first goal against the New York Rangers on November 8, 1942. After switching to number 9 to match his daughter Huguette's birth weight of nine pounds, he remained healthy in 1943–44 and led the Canadiens with 32 goals. Coach Dick Irvin shifted him to right wing on a line with Toe Blake and Elmer Lach, forming the high-scoring "Punch line." The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup that season, and Richard led the league with 12 playoff goals, including a five-goal game against the Toronto Maple Leafs that tied an NHL record.

In the 1944–45 season, Richard set a new mark for points in one game with five goals and three assists against the Detroit Red Wings on December 28, 1944. He broke Joe Malone's 27-year-old record of 44 goals in a season on February 25, 1945, with Malone presenting him the puck. Richard finished the season with 50 goals in 50 games, a feat no NHL player had achieved before. He won the Hart Trophy as MVP in 1947, played in 13 All-Star Games, and was named to 14 post-season NHL All-Star teams. He was a member of eight Stanley Cup championship teams, including a league record five straight between 1956 and 1960, and served as team captain for the last four.

Reader's Guide

Maurice Richard's significance extends beyond his statistical achievements. As the first NHL player to score 50 goals in 50 games and the first to reach 500 career goals, he redefined offensive excellence in the sport. His 544 career goals stood as the NHL's all-time record upon his retirement in 1960. Richard's intensity and physical style of play made him a formidable competitor, but also led to controversy: late in the 1954–55 season, he struck a linesman during an on-ice incident, and NHL President Clarence Campbell suspended him for the remainder of the season and playoffs, precipitating the Richard Riot in Montreal. That riot has taken on a mythical quality and is often viewed as a precursor to Quebec's Quiet Revolution. Richard was a cultural icon among Quebec's francophone population; his legend is a primary motif in Roch Carrier's short story The Hockey Sweater, an emblematic work of Canadian culture. The Hockey Hall of Fame waived its five-year waiting period to induct him in 1961, and in 1999 the Montreal Canadiens donated the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy to the NHL, awarded annually to the league's regular season leading goal-scorer. He was the first non-politician to be honoured by the province of Quebec with a state funeral.

Did You Know?

• Richard was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in one season, doing so in 50 games in 1944–45.
• He was the first player to reach 500 career goals and retired with 544, the NHL's all-time record at the time.
• His suspension in 1955 for striking a linesman led to the Richard Riot in Montreal, often seen as a precursor to Quebec's Quiet Revolution.
• The Canadiens retired his number 9 in 1960, and in 1999 the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy was donated to the NHL for the regular season goal-scoring leader.