fbpx

KidsKonnect

Maurice Richard Facts & Worksheets

Maurice' Rocket' Richard was a Canadian hockey player considered the most iconic player in Montreal Canadiens' history.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /People /Athletes /Maurice Richard Facts & Worksheets
Premium
Maurice Richard Worksheets
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard was a Canadian hockey player considered the most iconic player in Montreal Canadiens’ history. Richard was a part of the squad that had eight Stanley Cup championships and a 14-time All-Star player. At 20 National Hockey League records, he also had the title for having the most goals scored.

See the fact file below for more information on the Maurice Richard or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Maurice Richard worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BIOGRAPHY

  • Joseph Henri Maurice Richard was born in Montreal, Canada, on August 4, 1921. He was the eldest child of Alice Laramée and Onésime Richard. He grew in the Bordeaux neighbourhood of Montreal.
  • Richard first encountered and played hockey with his neighborhood squads and with his school. At the age of 18, Richard played for several teams that included an amateur club, where he was able to score 133 of the team’s 144 goals and the Junior A Verdun Maple Leafs.
  • While playing, Richard was studying at the Montreal Technical School to become a machinist.
  • In 1940, Richard signed with the Habs’ farm team, the Montreal Senior Canadiens. He experienced two seasons off with the club because of an injury and could only play a little. However, Richard’s talent was very recognized.
  • Richard worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Angus shop. Richard took this job for many summers while he was playing in the NHL. While working here, he moved up to the Montreal Canadiens for the 1942-1943 season.

RICHARD’S NHL CAREER

  • Richard’s career in the NHL was very outstanding. During his 18-season career, Richard topped NHL in goals five times. He was considered the league’s all-time leader in goals having 82 playoff goals, six from overtime, seven playoff hat tricks, and Richard scored 18 game-winning playoff goals in the time of his retirement.
  • He did this and excelled under pressure. By 1944, Richard scored all five goals against Toronto with a score of 5-1. He was the first-ever player to be named as all three of the game’s stars.
  • Richard was also a member of the eight Stanley Cup champion teams of Montreal Canadiens, and in 1947, he was awarded the Hart Trophy.
  • Richard excelled in the NHL despite experiencing several injuries in his career. After he broke his ankle 16 games into his rookie season, he came back stronger having 32 goals in the next year.
  • During the 1944-45 season, Richard scored 50 goals in 50 games which became a record for several years. At the same time, Richard, Hector Blake, and Elmer Lack, also known as the “Punch Line,” was one of the most celebrated trios of all time.
  • Richard’s famous nickname, ‘Rocket,’ was given by Raymond Getcliffe, his teammate, because of his speed observed during his games and practices with his team.
  • Richard and his brother Henri, his teammate on the Canadiens, were considered one of the franchise’s most beloved players known as the “Pocket Rocket.”

RICHARD’S FIGHTS, SUSPENSIONS, AND THE RICHARD RIOT

  • Richard was a very competitive player while possessing a short-tempered attitude. He rarely refused a challenge or left an attack that was not answered.
  • In March of 1955, a fight started between Richard and Hal Laycoe, a Boston Bruin player. Richard went after Laycoe bringing his stick and struck a linesman who intervened in their dispute.
  • Clarence Campbell, the NHL President during that time, suspended Richard, which cost him the regular season’s final three games and all of the games in playoffs.
  • With these, Canadiens fans outraged, not because Richard was, during that time, on the verge of winning his first points scored title.
  • During St. Patrick’s Day, in a game at the Montreal Forum, furious fans attacked Campbell, and the violent outrage of the fans continued throughout the streets, becoming one of the worst sports riots in Canadian history.
  • This event was named the “Richard Riot.” It became an indication of the passionate devotion Richard inspired. It was seen as one of the first demonstrations of awakening the nationalist consciousness among the Québécois.
  • With Richard’s suspension, he lost the scoring championship to his teammate Bernard “Boom Boom” Geoffrion. This time was Richard’s closest achieved in winning points scored title, one of the few honors he lost during his career.
  • Without Richard, the Canadiens were later eliminated by the Detroit Red Wings during the playoffs. After this, the Canadiens came back and won the next five championships in a row, having Richard as the captain for the last four titles.

RICHARD’S DEATH AND LEGACY

  • In 1960, Richard’s career ended after suffering from several injuries that include a severed Achilles tendon. Richard held almost 20 NHL records at the time of his retirement. Having 544 goals in a regular-season play became the NHL record at the time of his retirement.
  • Richard’s 50 goals in 50 games also remained a record until in 198-81 season; Mike Bossy surpassed it. In 1961, Richard was included in the Hockey Hall of Fame right after his retirement, waiving NHL’s three-year post-retirement period to welcome him immediately.
  • During the same year, the Canadiens retired his jersey number “9.” In 1967, Richard became an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Companion in 1998.
  • The NHL unveiled a new trophy called the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in 1999. This award will be given annually, during the regular season, to the league’s highest goal scorer.
  • Maurice Richard passed away at the age of 78 because of cancer in 2002. Richard was given a state funeral, also being the first Canadian athlete to be accorded.
  • Maurice “Rocket” Richard is still remembered. He will be the most colorful and competitively driven player in hockey’s history despite that his last professional hockey game was more than a half-century ago.
  • Richard, with his burning eyes, explosive goal-scoring ability and relentless drive, will always be highly respected in Quebec as a hero whose fame also reached several people out of his already-beloved sport.

Maurice Richard Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Maurice Richard across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Maurice Richard worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard who was a Canadian hockey player considered the most iconic player in Montreal Canadiens’ history. Richard was a part of the squad that had eight Stanley Cup championships and a 14-time All-Star player. At 20 National Hockey League records, he also had the title for having the most goals scored.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Maurice Richard Facts
  • Richard’s Profile Writing
  • The Timeline of Rocket
  • Hockey Equipment
  • Match the Stick
  • Filling the Ice
  • All-Star Player’s Questions
  • Rocket’s Achievements
  • Richard’s Words
  • The Ice Hockey Rules
  • The Richard Riot

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Maurice Richard Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 5, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources