Maurice Richard

The most recognizable professional ice hockey player from Canada is Maurice Richard. Maurice, the oldest of eight siblings, was born into a low-income household in Montreal, Canada. When he left the National Hockey League, he was in possession of almost 20 records, including the record for most goals scored.

Quick Facts about Maurice

Full Name Joseph Henri Maurice Richard
Common name Maurice Richard
Nick Name “Rocket Richard”
Birthdate August 4, 1921
Deceased Date May 27, 2000
Zodiac Sign Leo
Mother’s Name Alice Laramee
Father’s Name Onesime Richard
Siblings Four Brothers: Rene, Jacques, Henri, and Claude

Three Sisters: Georgette, Rollande, and Marguerite

Birthplace Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Home Town Montreal
Citizenship Canadian
Residence Canada
School Montreal Technical School
Height 5 feet 10 inches
Weight 170 lbs
Eye Colour Unknown
Hair Colour Unknown
Shoe Size Unknown
Wife Lucille Richard (died in 1994)
Marriage Date 1942
Children Five Sons & Two Daughters
Profession Ice Hockey Player
Jersey Number 9
Position Right Wing
Shoots Left
Team Montreal Canadiens
Playing Career 1942-1960
Awards Hockey Hall of Fame, Canada’s Walk of Fame, Hart Memorial Trophy, Stanley Cup, and Many Others
Net Worth $1.5 Million
Retirement  1960
Last-Update July, 2022

Net Worth of Maurice Richard

The money Maurice Richard made playing NHL professionally was sufficient. After he stopped playing, Maurice tried his hand at starting a business. First of all, he acquired a bar in Montreal and sold it for twice what he paid for it after three years. He later invested that money in a company that made fishing lines.

Hockey player Maurice was a renowned elite celebrity who was well-known both domestically and abroad. As a result, he traveled to sporting and other events throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe. Richard made a lot of money despite coming from a low-income background thanks only to his talent and diligence.

Maurice also contributed a sports column to Montreal’s La Presse in the 1980s. Maurice Richard’s actual net worth is unknown, which is unfortunate because he led a very opulent life in his later years. <<You Might be know about Top 12 Best Sports Academies in the World>>

Richard Maurice: Professional Background

Initially, Maurice was unable to start playing hockey due to the financial disadvantage of his family. But later, when he was fourteen, he began playing for some local teams and helped them win three straight league championships.

Maurice began playing ice hockey professionally by joining the Verdun Juniors. Henri was transferred from Verdun Juniors to the Montreal Royals of the Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL) after finishing his rookie season.

NBA debut

Richard made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens in 1942, and on November 8, 1942, he beat the New York Rangers to score his first NHL goal. In his first season, he played roughly sixteen games and scored five goals before taking a brief layoff due to an ankle injury. Richard contributed 12 goals in nine games in 1944, which helped Montreal defeat Chicago and win the Stanley Cup. Richard also played 46 games in his rookie season, scoring 32 goals.

Maurice Richard (middle) in action. (Source: nhl.com)

Richard made NHL history by scoring eight points in a single game that same year. Up until Darryl Sittler’s 10-point performance in 1976, this accomplishment remained the norm. Leo Labine’s check during the 1952 semifinal match versus Boston rendered Maurice unconscious. Maurice, though, who had been resurrected but was still in a semiconscious state, scored the most dramatic winning goal.

In the minds of hockey fans across the league, this goal quickly rose to the status of the most defining event that characterized Maurice’s persona. Maurice’s presence in the lineup would motivate other teammates and aid them in winning their fourth and fifth championships in 1959 and 1960, even when injuries slowed him down shortly before the end of his career.

Maurice Richard, a Montreal native:

The true significance of Maurice Richard to his admirers and well-wishers is not only based on his outstanding performance and long career, but also on what he stood for. He was regarded as personifying French-Canadian pride.

Childhood and Family

He was raised in Montreal, Quebec’s rough Bordeaux neighborhood where he was born and raised. Maurice was born to Onesime Richard and Alice Laramee, two parents from low-income families. His parents, who were both from Gaspe, married and went to Montreal.

After the birth of Maurice, Onesime Richard, a carpenter by trade, was hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Onesime unfortunately lost his position with the railway in 1930, leaving the entire family dependent on the government. He was fortunate to get his job back after six years.

Eight times Stanley Cup Winner Maurice Richard.

When Richard was just four years old, he already owned a pair of ice skates, and he used to skate on nearby rivers and a little ice rink Onesime built in his garden. Maurice Richard first encountered ice hockey in this manner. Baseball and boxing were two other sports he used to play, but ice hockey was in his greatest interest.

Of his eight siblings—four brothers and three sisters—Maurice was the oldest. Henri Richard, the younger brother, played hockey and went by the moniker “Pocket Rocket.” Both brothers played together during the final five years of Maurice’s active life.

Education

At the age of sixteen, Richard enrolled in the Montreal Technical School to study machining. The primary motivation for enrolling in technical school was to financially support the family. He played for teams in his school and community since he developed an early interest in hockey.

He participated in sports for the Parc Lafontaine squad at Montreal Technical School. Richard was invincible at the game due to his brilliance. Richard was so talented that many school teams wanted to sign him as a left winger. Maurice played extra hockey games every day under different aliases because he was only allowed to play for one team in a given year.

physical characteristics Maurice Richard

Maurice Richard, a former ice hockey player, stood 5 feet 10 inches tall. He was about 170 pounds when he was an NHL player. But Maurice dropped a little weight after being diagnosed with cancer. On ice, the ferociously competitive monster was the exact opposite in real life—shy and reserved.

Hockey legend “The Rocket Richard.”

Montreal Canadien Team Maurice Richard

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team from Canada. It is one of the National Hockey League’s oldest clubs still in existence. It was established in 1909 as one of the first National Hockey Association teams, prior to the creation of the NHL.

Also It was  the home team of Howie Morenz, a legendary hockey player from the years before World War II. In 1923, he joined the group. The Canadiens are the most successful franchise in league history, having won nearly 24 Stanley Cups compared to other NHL teams.

Maurice Richard was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens in 1942 as a right wing. Richard later established himself as the franchise’s all-time leading goal scorer and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Awards and Successes

Four more times in his career, the “Rocket” scored more goals than anyone else. He was selected to the NHL All-Star Team 14 times in a row from 1944 to 1957. Eight of the 14 selections made from them were for the First All-Star Team. In November 1952, Richard eclipsed Nels Stewart to become the NHL’s all-time leader after scoring his 325th regular-season goal against Chicago. On October 19, 1957, Maurice achieved the milestone of 500 regular-season goals in the NHL. Hockey players Dickie Moore and Jean Beliveau helped this history in the future.

Even though other players are only eligible for this honor after five years of retirement, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 after only one year of retirement. In addition, the Montreal Canadiens retired Maurice’s number 9 jersey in 1960. In addition, the NHL agreed to give Maurice’s name to the prize for top goal scorer in 1998. The next year, Teemu Selanne, another prominent hockey player, received the first Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy from Maurice himself.

Maurice Richard’s spouse and kids

When he was seventeen years old, Henri met his future wife Lucille Norcet. One of Maurice’s teammates and Lucille’s younger sister, she was fourteen years old at the time. Both Lucille’s bright, enthusiastic personality and Maurice’s quiet, reserved demeanor somehow complemented one another. On September 12, 1942, the young age of twenty and seventeen of the pair were wed.

Maurice Richard with wife and children. (Source: La Presse)

Five sons and two daughters make up the seven children that Lucille and Maurice are parents to. The couple brought up Huguette, Maurice Jr., Norman, Andre, Suzanne, Polo, and Jean in Montreal. At the start of the 1943–1944 season, Richard gave birth to his first daughter, which inspired him to change his number to nine.

In honor of his daughter Huguette, who weighed nine pounds at birth, Henri altered his number from 15 to 9. In 1994, two years before the couple’s golden wedding anniversary, Lucille passed away from cancer.

Richard Maurice: Getting Over Injuries

Richard had his first major injury after a promising start to his Canadiens career. He fractured both of his ankles when he fell and hit the boards. Richard was called to the Canadian Military Recruitment Office at the same time but declined the call to serve due to an injury.

Maurice rejoined the QSHL team in 1941 after nearly an air of recuperation. He unfortunately had a wrist injury once more after participating in almost 31 games of the season. Maurice returned to the squad during the playoffs despite having sustained a number of ailments, played admirably, and even had the chance to try out for the NHL Montreal Canadiens.

In 1942, Richard was called up to the NHL because there weren’t any French-Canadiens players in the NHL due to the War. Unfortunately, Richard shattered his leg once again after just sixteen games. In order to defend his nation during World War II, Maurice attempted to enlist in the Canadian army but was rejected due to a leg injury.

Serving and fighting for one’s nation was a matter of pride for men during the War. As a result, Richard felt a lot of self-doubt and embarrassment, which motivated him to work hard in the off-seasons in preparation for the upcoming season.

The Riot of Richard

Richard received a match punishment on March 13, 1955, for purposefully hurting Harold Laycoe during a game against the Boston Bruins. After an official investigation, Richard was given a season-long suspension by NHL commissioner Clarence Campbell.

When Richard made this choice, the Montreal Canadiens were leading the NHL in scoring and Richard was at the height of his professional abilities. Richard would miss every game, including the final three of the regular season and every round of the postseason. His admirers believed that Richard had been treated unfairly by the suspension decision.

When Campbell attempted to take a seat at the Montreal Forum for the Canadiens’ next regular-season game against the Red Wings on the following St. Patrick’s Day, the enraged Canadiens supporters flung eggs at him. The audience became so enraged that the Red Wings were awarded a forfeit, forcing everyone to leave the arena.

Unfortunately, a riot that followed resulted in $50000 in damage and some serious wounds among the French population. Many academics think that the Quiet Revolution was preceded by this extraordinary act of patriotic pride.

Death of Maurice Richard

Maurice Richard passed away on May 27, 2000, despite his battle with stomach cancer. His remains was preserved at the Montreal Molson Center one day prior to the funeral. Nearly 115,000 mourners signed a book of remembrance for Maurice and visited the casket.

Thousands of Maurice’s fans attended his State funeral on May 31 at Notre Dame Basilica to honor the legendary hockey player. Brother Henri and other of his old teammates carried his casket as veteran Canadiens, well-known politicians, and former rivals followed the burial procession.

Questions and Answers (FAQs)

What was Maurice Richard’s retirement age?

Maurice Richard, who had experienced numerous ailments, announced his retirement at the age of 39 in 1960. After retiring, Richard continued to write his renowned Sunday Column for Le Journal de Montréal and joined the Canadiens’ front office.

Maurice Richard moved how quickly?

Rocket As one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players, Richard was recognized. He became the first skater reach 50 goals in a season thanks to his speed and perseverance. As a result of a teammate’s joke that Maurice “went in like a rocket” when he charged the net in search of a scoring opportunity, the nickname “The Rocket” was also given to him.