Maurice "The Rocket" Richard and Canadian Identities

Hockey star Joseph-Henri-Maurice "The Rocket" Richard (1921-2000) was known for his deft play on the ice with the Montreal Canadiens - as well as his icy stare and his short temper. As a goal scorer he was unmatched in his day: in 1944-45 he scored 50 goals in 50 games, which stood as hockey's most celebrated record for decades. His exciting play made him a hero amongst French Canadians, as we will see in Roch Carrier's famous story "The Hockey Sweater." On 17 March 1955 he was suspended for the rest of the season and the playoffs following a dramatic on-ice fight with another player. The president of the National Hockey League, Clarence Campbell, was accused of being anti-French Canadian for making the decision. This decision set off a chain reaction that led to violence and the worst sports riot in Canadian history. We will look at Richard, his legendary performance, and the passions that he aroused, on the ice and off.

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* Lecture Notes *

PowerPoint Slides

Reading:

Michel Vigneault, "Richard, Maurice," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography.

Article readings available at: http://www.lackenbauer.ca/Hist103/103_richard_rdg.pdf

Additional Sources:

Historica Minute about Rocket Richard: http://www.histori.ca/minutes/minute.do?ID=10217

"The Rocket" - an impressive tribute site: http://www.spelten.com/MauriceRichard/

Ramos, Howard and Kevin Gosine. "'The Rocket': Newspaper Coverage of the Death of a Quebec Cultural Icon, A Canadian Hockey Player." Journal of Canadian Studies 36, no. 4 (2001-2002): 9-31. Available online at UW at: http://wilsontxt.hwwilson.com/pdffull/02525\AWVH1\YSH.pdf

Further Reading:

Carrier, Roch. Our Life with the Rocket. Toronto: Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 2001.

Goyens, Chrys and Orr, Frank. Maurice Richard: Reluctant Hero. Markham: Team Power Publishing, 2000.

MacInnis, Craig (ed.). Remembering the Rocket – A Celebration. Toronto: Stoddart, 1998.

Richard, Maurice and Stan Fischler. The Flying Frenchmen – Hockey's Greatest Dynasty. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1971.

For a more extensive list, see the Canadian Museum of Civilization, "Rocket" Richard Bibliography.

Films:

"The Maurice Richard Story" (TV series, 1999)

"Maurice Richard: The Legend, the Story, the Movie" (TV, 2006).

"The Rocket" (2005) ("Maurice Richard" in French)