Maurice Richard
First NHL player to score 50 goals in 50 games.
When his playing days ended in 1960, Richard held the NHL's top career goal total, 544.[1]
Quick Facts
- Hall of Fame
- 1961
- Born
- 4 August 1921
- Birthplace
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Died
- 27 May 2000
- Position
- Right wing
- Shoots
- Left
- Played for
- Montreal Canadiens
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Richard grew up in the Bordeaux district of Montreal and got his start in hockey with his school team and neighbourhood team.[2] Richard led Montreal to a Stanley Cup championship in 1955–56, the start of five consecutive titles.[3] He announced his retirement as a player on September 15, 1960.[4] At age 16, Richard left school to take up machinist work alongside his father.[5]
Richard's first NHL game was for the Canadiens during the 1942–43 season.[6] Richard became the NHL's all-time goal leader on November 8, 1952, when he scored his 325th goal.[7]
What the cited sources add
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography notes that teammate Raymond Getliffe nicknamed Richard "the Rocket" after being astonished by his speed in practices.[2] Canada's Walk of Fame states that Richard was given a provincial state funeral broadcast live across Canada, the first such honour for an athlete.[8] The Dictionary of Canadian Biography records that Conn Smythe admitted Richard was the best player and offered up to $135,000 to buy his contract.[2] Canada's Walk of Fame reports that the Montreal Expos wore Richard's number 9 on their sleeves for the 2000 season after his death.[8]
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography notes that Richard lost his final opportunity to claim the regular-season scoring title, which was won by Geoffrion that year.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Maurice Richard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "100 Greatest NHL Players", National Hockey League, January 1, 2017 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Vigneault, "Richard, Maurice, known as the Rocket", Dictionary of Canadian Biography, 2005. facts only, no text reused. biographi.ca
- Wikipedia, "Maurice Richard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; "Henri Richard biography", Hockey Hall of Fame; ; ; ; ; Carroll, "Canadiens defeat Red Wings, 3–1, win Stanley Cup", The Gazette, April 11, 1956, p. 1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Maurice Richard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Maurice (the Rocket) Richard Retires", The Gazette, September 16, 1960, p. 25 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Maurice Richard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; ; "Maurice Richard playing card", National Hockey League; ; ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Maurice Richard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; ; "Maurice Richard biography", Hockey Hall of Fame (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Maurice Richard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; "Rocket ties N.H.L. goal record but Leafs win 7–5", The Gazette, October 30, 1952, p. 19; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Maurice Richard", Canada's Walk of Fame. facts only, no text reused. canadaswalkoffame.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Maurice Richard (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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