Henri Richard
The Pocket Rocket: 11-time Stanley Cup champion and Canadiens legend.
Henri Richard (February 29, 1936 – March 6, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played his entire NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens from 1955 to 1975. Nicknamed "Pocket Rocket" after his older brother Maurice "Rocket" Richard, he won the Stanley Cup 11 times as a player, the most in NHL history, tying Bill Russell for the most championships by an athlete in a North American sports league. In 2017, he was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players'.
- Role
- Center
- Affiliation
- Montreal Canadiens
- Career Span
- 1955–1975
- Stanley Cups Won
- 11
- Status
- Retired (Number 9 retired by Montreal)
- Key Record
- Most Stanley Cup championships won by a player
Lore & Background
Henri Richard was born in Montreal, the seventh of eight children. His father worked as a machinist for the Canadian Pacific Railway. He joined the junior Montreal Canadiens at age 15 and led the Quebec junior league in scoring for two consecutive seasons before being promoted to the NHL. He played alongside his brother Maurice, though their styles differed: Henri was a tactical playmaker who led the league in assists twice. He scored the Stanley Cup-clinching overtime goal in 1966 against the Detroit Red Wings and also scored the game-tying and Cup-winning goals in Game Seven of the 1971 Final against the Chicago Black Hawks. He served as team captain from 1971 until his retirement in 1975.
In Their Own Story
The arena hums with the electric tension of Game 7, the ice scratched raw by years of battles. Henri skates low to the surface, his small frame seemingly swallowed by the vastness of the Montreal Forum, yet he commands the center circle with absolute authority. As the puck drops, he explodes forward, a blur of red and white dodging a towering defenseman's stick check. With seconds ticking down in overtime, he receives a pass, dekes left, then right, and fires a wrist shot that beats the goalie five-hole. The crowd erupts as he raises his arms, not for personal glory, but for the banner that will soon hang high above the rafters.
Reader's Guide
Henri Richard's jersey number 16 was retired by the Canadiens at a pre-game ceremony on December 10, 1975. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979. He scored two Stanley Cup-winning goals, one of five players to have done so. His 1,256 regular-season games played in a Canadiens uniform are a franchise record. He was ranked number 29 on The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players in 1998 and was named to the NHL's 100 Greatest Players list in 2017.
Did You Know?
- Henri Richard won the Stanley Cup 11 times as a player, the most in NHL history.
- He scored the Stanley Cup-clinching overtime goal in 1966 against the Detroit Red Wings.
- His jersey number 16 was retired by the Canadiens on December 10, 1975.
- He was nicknamed "Pocket Rocket" because he was shorter than his brother Maurice "Rocket" Richard.
- He led the NHL in assists twice, in 1957–58 and 1962–63.
More in Stanley Cups & Records
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