Quebec names Montreal Canadiens great Maurice Richard a ‘historic figure’
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/05/2025 (305 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
MONTREAL – The late, legendary Montreal Canadiens goal scorer Maurice Richard is now also an official historic figure in Quebec, the province announced Sunday.
Quebec Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe announced the designation alongside members of Richard’s family at an afternoon ceremony at the Bell Centre.
“Maurice Richard was not only an exceptional athlete…he also embodied the pride and aspirations of French-speaking Quebecers,” said Lacombe at the ceremony, which came days before 25-year anniversary of the hockey legend’s death on May 27, 2000.
The government defines a historic figure as a person who is now deceased who played a role in the province’s history. Richard joins strongman Louis Cyr as one of the few athletes on the list of over 100 people with the title.
Nicknamed “the Rocket,” Richard dominated the NHL beginning in 1940s, and he became the first player to score 50 goals in 50 games during the 1944-45 season. Five of those goals were scored in a single game — a 9-1 victory against Detroit — after a day he spent helping his family move furniture.
He led the team to eight Stanley Cups in an 18-year career and remains the team’s best scorer in both the regular season and the playoffs, the government said in a news release.
Richard’s legend was also intertwined with the identity and struggle of French-speaking Quebecers, and Lacombe described him as one of the sparks of the cultural and social awakening known as the Quiet Revolution.
The frenzy over Richard reached its peak in March 1955 when fans, angered over a three-game suspension handed to their star, booed and threw things at the league’s then-commissioner, Clarence Campbell. The anger spilled out in the streets, where an angry crowd smashed windows and businesses and overturned cars in downtown Montreal in an event now known as the Richard riot.
Tensions only calmed after the star player himself got on the radio to plead for calm.
Richard’s son, who attended the ceremony, said his father had never sought fame or notoriety.
“He played a sport he loved, he loved his fellow citizens, he always played in Montreal, he was proud to be a Quebecer,” Maurice Richard Jr. said Sunday. “I think that was enough for him.”
Sunday’s ceremony included the unveiling of a plaque commemorating Richard, which will be permanently installed in a location that has yet to be determined.
The designation comes after the Quebec legislature adopted a law in February recognizing hockey as the province’s official sport.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2025.