Happy 104th Birthday to the Rocket

It almost seems like every hockey fan that you run into has a story about the Rocket, despite in some cases having never seen him play live. A lot of these come from people’s parents or grandparents, but it’s clear those stories were very influential.   His influence went beyond the hockey rink, as his representation and likability for the French Canadians in the 1940s and 50s was substantial. At a time when they truly needed a hero to get behind, Maurice Richard brought the flair and incredible skill every night of his NHL career. While today we still admire the stars of the NHL, it’s not the same as the game revolves a lot around money and much less the love of hockey, as it was during the years Richard was leading the NHL.

Speaking of which, it is quite surprising that throughout his NHL career, he never led the NHL in points during a season. Throughout his career, he did win one Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP back in 1947, but he still trailed Chicago Blackhawks forward Max Bentley by a point for the scoring title. This was the closest he came besides the infamous 1954-55 season, where he finished 2nd in league scoring and likely would have finished ahead of teammate Bernie Geoffrion had he not been suspended for punching a referee who held him back during a brawl, causing opposing players to easily punch him, which led to the Rocket snapping. Richard missed the final 4 games and playoffs, which led to the infamous riot at the Montreal Forum. That’s a story everyone will remember about the Rocket, but there are so many more positive ones.

The most amazing story involving the Rocket, to me, was during the 1944-45 season, when he moved all day and tried to get the night off from playing against the Red Wings, but was told he must play. That night, Richard played the best game of his NHL career, scoring 5 goals and 8 points. The 8 points in a single game would be an NHL record that would stand until Daryl Sittler broke that record with 10 points in a game for the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 1976.    The 1944-45 season, for the Rocket, will always be his most memorable on an individual standpoint as he scored 50 goals in 50 games, being the first to hit the 50-goal milestone. He would remain the only 50-goal scorer in the NHL ever until the year after he retired, when his former teammate Bernie Geoffrion finally accomplished the feat in the 1960-61 season.   On the team accomplishments, Richard managed to win 8 Stanley Cups in 18 years in the league, including 5 straight years to end his career. Those 5 seasons were the only years in which the Rocket served as team captain.    Aside from maybe Jean Beliveau (depending on how you view them), there is no more impactful player in the 116 years of Montreal Canadiens history than Maurice Richard. While the Rocket has been gone for nearly 25 years, his memory remains, and he will forever be immortal.   What are some of your favourite stories about Maurice Richard?