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Maurice's Birth
Joseph Henri Maurice Richard is born in Montréal, Québec. -
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Childhood
Living in the Bordeaux District near Ville-Saint Laurent, Maurice Richard learned to play Hockey as a child while playing in a rink that his father had made for him and his siblings. Maurice Richard played on his first competitive Hockey team when he played for his school's team. -
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Early Teen Years
At this age, Maurice Richard was skilled in sports other than Hockey, such as baseball and boxing, but he still loved to play the game. He played in the Parc LaFontaine league, where he played for five teams at once. Eventually, he dropped out of school because of how Hockey was taking up most of his time. This also meant that his training to become a machinist was at an end. -
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Maurice plays junior Hockey
Maurice played for Paul-émile Paquette's team in the 1937-38 season while playing in Junior Hockey. His coach was Paul Stuart and his team captain was Georges Norchet, his future brother in law. He then played for the Verdun Maple Leafs for his last two seasons in junior Hockey (1938-39 and 1939-40 seasons). -
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Part of the Farm Team
Maurice signed a contract to play for the Montréal Senior Canadiens for the 1940-41 and 1941-42 seasons. Sadly, he fractured his wrist and ankle and was only able to play for a few games with the team, but his coach observed that the left-winger Maurice Richard had a great backhander and thus changed him to a right-winger. -
Les Canadiens
A few days before marrying Lucille Norchet, Maurice signed a contract to play for the Montréal Canadiens despite what the NHL thought about his size. -
End of his Season
Maurice Richard breakes his ankle 16 games into the regular season and gives Canadiens fans a bad impression that he is too frail. -
The Rocket Takes Off
Maurice Richard came back strong into the NHL. He changed the number he wore on the back of his jersey to 9 instead of 15 in honour of his daughter Huguette because she weighed 9 pounds at birth. Maurice was much faster this season, and one of his team-mates, Raymond Getliffe, noticed how he and his line-mates were outplayed by Richard. So, Raymond nicknamed him "the Rocket". Together with Toe Blake and Elmer Lach, Maurice made the famous "Punch Line". -
Maurice Richard's First Stanley Cup
Maurice Richard and the Canadiens defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in 4 games in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals to win the Canadiens fifth Stanley Cup. -
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The Rocket's Record
Maurice Richard set a new record at the end of the 1944-45 regular season. He managed to score 50 goals in 50 games and finished second in the top scorer standings, right behind fellow teammate Elmer Lach. -
Maurice's second Stanley Cup
Maurice Richard and the Canadiens earn the club's 6th Stanley Cup after a 5 game series win over the Boston Bruins. Maurice scored 27 regular season goals plus 7 goals in the postseason to help the Canadiens. -
MVP
Maurice racked up 45 goals in the regular season in order to become the 1946-47 season's most valuable player (MVP) and win the Hart trophy. -
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Ten Year Final Streak
Maurice and the Montréal Canadiens had a ten year Stanley Cup Final streak. -
325th Goal!
Maurice Richard scores his 325th goal and breaks the record of 324 set by a former Maroons player. -
The Rocket Wins His Third!
Maurice Richard helps the Canadiens win their 7th Stanley Cup and his 3rd Stanley Cup after a 4-1 series victory over the Boston Bruins. -
Suspension of Maurice Richard
In a game between the Boston Bruins and the Canadiens, Bruins player Hal Laycoe strikes Maurice in the head with his stick, resulting in a fight. Linesman Cliff Thompson tries to break up the fight by holding Maurice back, but gives Hal a free shot at Maurice. To escape Cliff's grip, Maurice punches him in the face and causes Cliff to bleed from his eye. Maurice was suspended for the rest of the regular season and for the entire postseason, while Laycoe, the instigator, was unpunished. -
The Riot
After Maurice Richard was suspended, a riot broke out in Montréal during a game against the Detroit Red Wings in protest of NHL president Clarence Campbell's desicion to suspend Maurice. Windows were smashed and store were vandalized. The following morning, Maurice goes live on radio to appeal to his fans to stop the madness and keep order. -
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The Five Cup Streak
Maurice Richard and the Montréal Canadiens won five Stanley Cups in a row. -
Maurice Earns His 4th Stanley Cup
Maurice and the Canadiens win their first Stanley Cup under the coaching of Toe Blake after a 4-1 series win over the Detroit Red Wings. This brings the club's Stanley Cup total to 9. -
Maurice's 5th Stanley Cup
Maurice Richard wins his first Stanley Cup as team captain and wins the Canadiens 10th after a 5 game series victory over the Boston Bruins. -
The Big 500
Maurice Richard was able to get past Chicago Blackhawks goalie Glenn Henry and score the 500th goal of his career. He dedicated it to his former coach Dick Irvin, who died a few months earlier. -
Maurice Richard Wins His 6th Stanley Cup
Maurice leads the Canadiens to a 6 game series victory over the Boston Bruins in order to acheive the club's 11th Stanley Cup. -
The Rocket's Seventh
Maurice Richard wins his third Stanley Cup as team captain and 7th Stanley Cup of his Career after a 5 game series win over the Toronto Mapple Leafs. -
Maurice Richard's Final Stanley Cup
Maurice Richard led the Canadiens to a sweep of the playoffs and the club's 13th Stanley Cup and Maurice's 8th. -
Retirement
Maurice Richard declares his retirement. -
Coaching the Nordiques
Maurice Richard becomes the first coach of the Quebec Nordiques and coaches their first ever game. Sadly, the Nordiques lost 2-0 against the Cleveland Crusaders. Richard soon realized that he did not have the temper to be a coach, so he handed in his resignation, but he was begged to stay one more game. And so his coaching career ended in Quebec City after a 6-0 Nordique win over the Alberta Oilers. -
The Closing of the Forum
In a special event organized by the Canadiens team, Maurice Richard was greatly recognized at the event, and was given a standing ovation that lasted for over 15 minutes. -
Fall of a Hero
Maurice Richard, the hero of Hockey in Quebec, lost his fight with Cancer at the age of 78. Many people mourned over the hearing of his death. He became the first Canadian athlete to be held a state funeral. Thousands of people visited the Molson centre to see the Rocket one last time while he lay in state before his funeral. -
Maurice Richard's Funeral
Maurice Richard's funeral was held in Notre-Dame Basilica. Over 100,000 people came to say their last words to Maurice. Politicians and even former opponents arrived at the funeral.
