Maurice Richard
First to score 50 goals in 50 games.
Last updated
On August 4, 1921, in Montreal, Quebec, Joseph Henri Maurice Richard was born.[1] When he retired in 1960, Richard held the NHL's all-time record for goals, having scored 544.[2]
Life and work
Richard grew up in the Bordeaux district of Montreal and got his start in hockey with his school team.[3] Richard announced his retirement as a player on September 15, 1960.[4] At age 16, Richard left school to become a machinist alongside his father.[5] Raymond Getliffe, a teammate, gave Richard the nickname "the Rocket" because he was amazed by his quickness in practice.[3]
The Hart Trophy, given to the NHL's most valuable player, was awarded to Richard in 1947.[2] On November 8, 1952, Richard netted his 325th career goal, making him the NHL's top goal scorer of all time.[6]
What the cited sources add
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography notes that Richard came from a family of modest means.[3] Even Conn Smythe admitted Richard was the best player and offered up to $135,000 to buy his contract.[3] Canada's Walk of Fame states that Richard is a Companion of the Order of Canada.[7] Following Richard's death, the Montreal Expos wore his number 9 on their sleeves for the 2000 season.[7]
Richard was given a provincial state funeral broadcast live across Canada, the first such honour for an athlete.[7] The Dictionary of Canadian Biography reports that Richard would never accept the suspension affecting the playoffs.[3]
References
- Wikipedia, "Maurice Richard" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- 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: "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: ; "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.
Career statistics and honours
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1939–40 | Verdun Maple Leafs | QJHL | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
| 1939–40 | Verdun Maple Leafs | QSHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1939–40 | Verdun Maple Leafs | Mem. Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 16 |
| 1940–41 | Montreal Canadiens (Sr.) | QSHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1941–42 | Montreal Canadiens (Sr.) | QSHL | 31 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 1942–43 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 16 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1943–44 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 46 | 32 | 22 | 54 | 45 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 10 |
| Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 50 | 23 | 73 | 46 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 10 | |
| 1945–46 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 27 | 22 | 49 | 50 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 15 |
| Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 60 | 45 | 26 | 71 | 69 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 44 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 53 | 28 | 25 | 53 | 89 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1948–49 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 59 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 110 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 43 | 22 | 65 | 114 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 65 | 42 | 24 | 66 | 97 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 13 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 48 | 27 | 17 | 44 | 44 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | |
| 1952–53 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 28 | 33 | 61 | 112 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 37 | 30 | 67 | 112 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 22 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 67 | 38 | 36 | 74 | 125 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1955–56 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 38 | 33 | 71 | 89 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 24 |
| 1956–57 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 63 | 33 | 29 | 62 | 27 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 8 |
| 1957–58 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 28 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 28 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 10 |
| 1958–59 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 42 | 17 | 21 | 38 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1959–60 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 51 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 50 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| NHL totals | 978 | 544 | 422 | 966 | 1,285 | 133 | 82 | 44 | 126 | 188 | ||
Awards and honours
National Hockey League
| Award | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 1944–45, 1945–46, / 1946–47, 1947–48, / 1948–49, 1949–50, / 1954–55, 1955–56 | ||
| Second Team All-Star | 1943–44, 1950–51 / 1951–52, 1952–53 / 1953–54, 1956–57 | |
| 1943–44, 1945–46, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60 | ||
| Hart Trophy / Most valuable player | 1946–47 |
National
| Award | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Press male athlete of the year | 1952, 1957 / 1958 | |
| Lou Marsh Trophy / Canadian athlete of the year | 1957 |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Maurice Richard (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Maurice Richard (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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