The Rocket — the first player to score 50 goals in a season, the most feared scorer in NHL history.
Joseph Henri Maurice Richard was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1921. He spent his entire 18-season career with the Montreal Canadiens, winning eight Stanley Cup championships (1944, 1946, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960). He was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a single season — doing so in 1944-45 in 50 games — a feat that captured the imagination of an entire nation. He won the Hart Trophy as MVP in 1947. He was selected to 14 consecutive All-Star teams. He was the dominant offensive force of hockey's most celebrated dynasty — the Montreal Canadiens who won five consecutive Stanley Cups from 1956 to 1960. His passion on the ice was as legendary as his scoring — he played with an intensity, particularly in playoff situations, that coaches described as unlike any player they had seen. The Richard Riot of March 1955 — caused by the suspension of Richard for the remainder of the season — was one of the most significant events in Quebec cultural history. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. He remains the most celebrated figure in Canadian hockey alongside Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky.
Stanley Cup 8x
Career Honours
- Stanley Cup 8x
- Hart Trophy
- NHL 50th Anniversary Team
- Hall of Fame (1961)