Montreal Canadiens’ Henri Richard: Heart, Tenacity, and Fighter

For those of us who were not around to see Henri Richard lace up the skates as part of the Montreal Canadiens, it’s a treat to listen to those who speak of his skill, abilities, and most of all, his character. As we heard about his battle with Alzheimer’s disease, the first thought that crossed my mind were the stories my father told me about how him and how incredible they seemed. Our thoughts with him, I decided to take a closer look at the best story of them all, his four fight game.

Before I get into the situation Henri Richard found himself in when he skated onto the ice I want to paint a picture of what the NHL looked like at the time. To say that it was a politically charged time in Montreal is an understatement to say the least.

Henri’s brother, Maurice Richard, had just finished a season tied with Bernard “Boom Boom” Geoffrion for the goal scoring lead in the NHL with 38 goals a piece. Geoffrion had finished tops in the league with 75 points, followed immediately by Maurice who had 74, and Jean Beliveau who had 73. Despite having the 3 top scorers in the league, it was the Detroit Red Wings who finished the season first overall, 1 point ahead of the Habs. Fern Flaman led all players with 150 PIM, something that comes into play later on in this story.

The Red Wings were led by Gordie Howe, Dutch Reibel, and Terry Sawchuck. They, or more notable Ted Lindsay, knew how to get under the Rocket’s skin and played a very strong defensive game, allowing only 134 goals as compared to the 157 allowed by the Habs. Their defensive abilities won them the Cup that year, with a little help from an incident that shook Montreal like no other: the Montreal Riots.

When people riot to the point of 37 of them being injured and 100 people being arrested, you know the issue is a charged one. In this case, it was a perception that Clarence Campbell, NHL President at the time, suspended Maurice Richard for much too long after he hit a linesman that tried to break up an altercation and wound up getting punched twice by the Rocket, enough to knock him unconscious. The suspension cost him the entire playoffs, the scoring title, and cost Dick Irvin his job as well. Boston police had tried to arrest him but players blockaded the room, and police only left once Bruins management told them the NHL would handle any punishment required.

Here is a video of that speaks about the riots:

In his defence, Maurice said he thought the linesman was another Bruins player since his vision was blurry from a high stick he had received. Either way, he was under the microscope, angry, and eager to move passed the incident without forgetting or forgiving anyone for what had taken place.

To add insult to injury, Clarence Campell pushed for 2 changes to be made after the season. First, referee jerseys were altered because they “confused players” on the ice (a direct jab at Maurice Richard’s defence), and revised the penalty rule by allowing a penalized player to return to the ice when a power play goal is scored on a minor penalty. The Canadiens were the lone club to vote against the new legislation because they often scored two or three goals on the power play.

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