Death of a Hero

The day before he was buried last week, Maurice Richard lay in state at the Molson Centre as thousands of fans silently filed by his coffin to pay their last respects.

Above his body hung a huge portrait of the Rocket in full flight, zooming in on some poor soul, the puck on his stick and fire in his eyes.

That is how he should be remembered, rushing down the ice with an unmatched intensity and passion. Richard was blessed with the speed and strength to bust by defenders, often leaving goalies to deal one-on-one with that high, hard shot that always seemed squarely on net.

Hall of Fame goalie Glenn Hall once said that every time Richard picked up a head of steam and came dashing over the blue line that way, those dark, piercing eyes would light up like a pinball machine. “It was terrifying,” he said.

Understandable.

Those who saw Richard play will always remember his eyes best. The Rocket’s red glare was an intimidating weapon for the greatest scorer of his time.

Once, Richard scored all five Montreal goals in a playoff game against Toronto. As the two teams skated off the ice, the game’s three stars were announced.

“The No. 3 star, Maurice Richard.”

Referee Bill Chadwick, leaving the ice behind the players, remembered wondering how that could be, how the Rocket, with five goals in the game, could be only the third star.

The public address announcer continued.

“The No. 2 star, Maurice Richard.”

Now, Chadwick understood what was up.

“And the No. 1 star, Maurice Richard.”

The Rocket was all three stars that night--and on a few others, as well.

And yet, Richard was much more than a great hockey player, the game’s first 50-goal scorer. He was a symbol for all of French Canada. He was for French Canadians what Jackie Robinson was for black Americans. He instilled a pride and passion in them that bordered on religious zeal.

Serge Savard, who followed Richard from the Canadiens to the Hockey Hall of Fame, spoke solemnly of the Rocket’s impact.

“This is not the story of a man,” he said. “This is the story of a legend. Maurice did not just have an impact on hockey. He had an impact on a people.”

Never was that more obvious than in 1955 when his suspension by NHL president Clarence Campbell triggered a riot in Montreal.

Campbell and Richard had battled before and it often was interpreted, at least in Quebec, as a clash between an authoritarian executive and an oppressed player, one English, the other French. It reached a climax when Richard was challenging for his first scoring championship.

With three games left in the season, the Canadiens were playing in Boston when the Rocket was cut by Boston defenseman Hal Laycoe. He chased Laycoe across the ice, punched him, then picked up a stick and swung it at him twice. When linesman Cliff Thompson tried to stop Richard, he swung at the official, too.

The next day, Campbell suspended Richard for the rest of the season and the playoffs, ending his bid for the scoring title and taking Montreal’s chances for a Stanley Cup along with it. The action triggered several death threats, but that night the NHL president showed up at the Montreal Forum for the game between the Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings.

The crowd was in an ugly mood and it only got worse when the Wings took a 4-1 lead. Debris was thrown on the ice. A fan approached Campbell as if to shake the league president’s hand and then swung at him instead. Now scuffles broke out all over the building and someone threw tear gas.

The Forum was ordered cleared with the game forfeited to Detroit. The fans spilled into the streets and started a riot, overturning cars, setting fires and looting stores.

Richard had to go on the radio to plead for calm. And he got it. That was the kind of impact and influence the Rocket had.

r he retired, Richard argued with the Canadiens and when the World Hockey AssN. was launched, the Quebec Nordiques hired him as coach. It took Richard two games to decide this was a bad idea and he walked away from the job.

Maybe he realized the Nordiques didn’t have any Rockets on their roster.