Maurice “The Rocket… Richard is the second highest-scoring right wing in the history of the Montreal Canadiens.
Richard has left an everlasting mark not only on the most storied franchise in the NHL but on hockey itself. When discussing the all-time greats of the game, leaving The Rocket’s name out of the discourse would be blasphemous, as he posted 544 goals and 965 points in 978 regular season games. Over his 18-year illustrious career with the Habs, he managed 82 goals and 126 points in 133 postseason appearances. It’s no wonder, then, that the 1947 Hart Trophy winner helped the franchise in 8 Stanley Cups, including 5 in a row between 1956-1960.
After a leg injury limited him to only 16 games in his 1942-1943 rookie season, the scoring sensation did not waste any time in terrorizing opposing goalies. In fact, he would be the first-ever NHL player to score 50 goals in a single year, and impressively accomplished that feat in no more than 50 games in 1944-1945. Moreover, he netted a hat-trick (or more) on 26 occasions, proving that players assigned to defensively cover The Rocket failed to shut him down.
While he was never labeled as a “fighter…, he was suspended for the rest of the 1954-1955 season after an altercation with the Bruins in which he hit a linesman, prompting the infamous “Richard Riot… by Montreal fans. Then NHL President Clarence Campbell wanted to make an example out of Richard, as the latter nonetheless had a negative reputation for his retaliations against players and referees throughout his career.
Maurice Richard was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961, and his #9 jersey was eternally immortalized during a retirement ceremony that same year. Sadly, he passed away in 2000 and his funeral was broadcasted across the mourning nation of Canada.
Since 1999, the Maurice Richard Trophy is awarded to the NHL’s highest regular season goal-scorer.