Maurice (Rocket) Richard 2000 Deaths

Maurice (Rocket) Richard

explosive right-winger who won eight Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens and was nothing short of a national hero in his native Canada; blazing speed earned him the nickname "Rocket" when he joined the NHL in 1942; joined C Elmer Lach and LW Toe Blake to form Montreal's "Punch Line" in 1943-44; played all 18 NHL seasons (1942-60) with Montreal; first player to score 500 career goals; first to score 50 goals in a season (in 50 games, 1944-45); eight-time NHL All-Star; league MVP in 1947; led Montreal to five straight Stanley Cups from 1956-60; scored five goals and had three assists, setting a then-NHL record for points in a game (8) against Detroit on Dec. 28, 1944; scored 82 career playoff goals; holds NHL record for career playoff overtime goals (6); caused a riot in Montreal when he was suspended with three games remaining in the 1954-55 season for punching an official; had five-year waiting period waived and elected to Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961; older brother of Henri. He died of abdominal cancer.