The legend of Maurice Richard (1921 - 2000) lives on long after his death. In 18 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, the hockey star known as the Rocket became the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in one season (and it took him only 50 games to do so). He also became the first NHL player to score 500 career goals and retired in 1960 with a grand total of 544 goals, making him the league’s all-time scoring leader.
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Rocket Richard captained the Canadiens to four Stanley Cup victories, half of the total eight he won with the Habs. For the Rocket, the Hockey Hall of Fame waived its 5-year waiting period, inducting him in 1961 just one year after he retired. Richard was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.
Maurice Richard was a popular player throughout Canada, but in Quebec, he was a beloved icon, a legend in his own time. When Richard was suspended for a vicious on-ice incident just prior to the 1955 playoffs, Montrealers rioted. In 1979 the publication of The Hockey Sweater – the classic story of Quebec boy who faces the indignation of wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater rather than the beloved number 9 of his hero – endeared Rocket Richard to a new generation of fans.
When Maurice Richard died in 2000, he became the first non-politician in Quebec to be honoured with a state funeral.