Maurice Richard - Playing Career

Playing Career

Many Habs fans considered it discrimination that Richard only won the Hart Trophy once. Although Richard was often perceived as a pre-Quiet Revolution hero excelling in an Anglophone world, he always insisted that he was an apolitical man playing hockey for the love of the sport.

Richard was not without opinions. Richard wrote, along with a newspaper ghost-writer, a column in the French language 'Samedi-Dimanche' starting in 1952. The column was entitled "Le Tour du Chapeau" (Hat Trick). It mostly described the regular goings-on around hockey, but Richard would occasionally run into controversy; in one instance, he called Quebec City fans "bandits" for their treatment of his brother Henri when he was a junior.

Richard's writing took on a most serious tone in 1954 when he criticized NHL president Clarence Campbell for suspending Boom Boom Geoffrion for eight games. Richard labelled Campbell as 'partial' to Canadiens opponents.

“What did Campbell do, when Jean Beliveau was deliberately injured twice by Billy Mosienko of Chicago and Jack Evans of Rangers? No penalty, no fine, no suspension. Did he suspend Gordie Howe of Detroit when he almost knocked out Dollard St. Laurent's eye? No! It is strange that only Dick Irvin and I have the courage to risk our livelihood by defending our rights against such a dictator.”
(On the topic of 'paper assists' given out in Detroit:) “It is not surprising that Howe, Lindsay and Abel are among the top point-scorers in the league, although I admit Howe and Lindsay are good players. Let Campbell get busy with the other little goings-on known about players of the National Hockey League and not try to create publicity for himself at the expense of a good fellow like 'Boom Boom' Geoffrion just because he is a French Canadian. That is my frank opinion and if I am to be punished for it, well that's that. I will leave hockey and I have an idea that several other Canadien players who share my opinion will do the same.”

Campbell threatened Richard with discipline and Frank Selke wrote up an apologetic retraction letter to Campbell. Richard then signed off his next column "Freedom of speech has been taken away from me. I have to obey my employers. I am not judging them but will leave this matter in the hands of my friends." Geoffrion also quit a similar column he had been writing. Richard deposited a $1,000 dollar cheque with Campbell along with his retraction. Campbell declared the matter closed and said that it would not have any bearing on any future matters.

Richard's career began and ended before the beginning of huge salaries. The largest yearly salary he ever made was $25,000 (equivalent to $200,000 in 2008). His #9 jersey number was retired on October 6, 1960, by the Canadiens, less than a month after he announced his retirement. His brother Henri "The Pocket Rocket" Richard joined him with the Canadiens in 1955 and would go on to win eleven Stanley Cups with the team, an NHL record.