Maurice Richard Joseph Henri Maurice " Rocket " Richard , Queen ' s Privy Council for Canada , Order of Canada , National Order of Quebec ( August 4 , 1921 – May 27 , 2000 ) was a professional player who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1942 to 1960 . The " Rocket " was the most prolific goal - scorer of his era , the first to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50 games . He lived most of his life in Ahuntsic , Montreal . Richard was the first to score 50 goals in one season ( the 1944 – 45 NHL season ) , doing so in 50 games , and the first to score 500 goals in a career . He finished his career with 544 goals in the regular season , with 82 in the NHL playoffs which included a record six overtime winners ( surpassed only by Joe Sakic who has eight ) , and led the league in goals five times . He also amassed 421 assists for a total of 965 points in 978 games . Richard won the Stanley Cup 8 times in Montreal , was captain of 5 straight cup wins from 1956 – 1960 , won the Hart Trophy in 1947 , and was elected eight times to the first all - star team and six times to the second all - star team , and played in every National Hockey League All - Star Game from 1947 to 1959 . Teamed with Elmer Lach as centre and Hector ' Toe ' Blake playing left wing , they formed the Punch Line . He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 , the customary three - year waiting period being waived in his honour . History . Richard originally played wearing the jersey number " 15 " but changed it to " 9 " in honour of his first child , Huguette , who weighed nine pounds at birth . His number has been retired by the Montreal Canadiens . In the 1950s , Richard was frequently compared to emerging star Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings . Both were right wingers who wore the same sweater number ( 9 ) , were frequently contenders for the league scoring title , and could also play rough if needed . During their first encounter in the Montreal Forum , when Howe was a rookie , he knocked Richard down with a punch after being shoved . The Red Wings and Canadiens faced off in four Stanley Cup finals during the 1950s . When Richard retired in 1960 , he paid tribute to Howe , saying " Gordie could do everything . " 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 jersey # 9 was retired on October 6 , 1960 by the Canadiens , less than a month after he announced his retirement . His brother Henri Richard joined him with the Canadiens in 1955 and would go on to win 11 Stanley Cups with the team , an NHL record . On March 23 , 1944 , Richard scored all five goals for the Canadiens in a 5 – 1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs " en route " to a Stanley Cup victory and was awarded all three stars for his efforts . The Richard Riot . On March 10 , 1955 , Richard was given a match penalty for engaging in a fight with Hal Laycoe in a game against the Boston Bruins . He flattened linesman Cliff Thompson in the resulting melee , and as that was his second attack on an official that season alone , a hearing was held : Richard was suspended for the balance of that season and the playoffs , which was at the time , the longest suspension for an on - ice incident in NHL history . Public outrage from Montreal soon poured in , but NHL President Clarence Campbell did not budge , and announced that he would be attending the Canadiens ' next home game against the Detroit Red Wings in four days . Midway into the first period , Campbell arrived with his fiancee . Outraged Canadiens fans immediately began pelting them with eggs , vegetables , and various debris , with more being thrown at him each time the Red Wings scored as they built up a 4 - 1 lead . The continuous pelting of various objects stopped when a tear gas bomb was set off inside the Forum not far from where Campbell was sitting . The Forum was ordered to evacuate and Campbell ruled the game forfeited to the Red Wings . A riot ensued outside the Forum , causing $ 500 , 000 in damage to the neighbourhood and the Forum itself . Hundreds of stores were looted and vandalized within a 15 - block radius of the Forum . Twelve police and 25 civilians were injured , and scores of people were arrested . The riot was over at 3 a . m . , and left Montreal ' s Ste - Catherine Street a mess . When Richard ' s teammate Bernie Geoffrion passed him in points on the last day of the regular season , he was booed by the Montreal faithful . The Canadiens would lose the Cup final to the Red Wings in seven games , but would win the Cup in each of the next five seasons , defeating the Red Wings in 1956 . Richard retired in 1960 after the Canadiens ' fifth straight Stanley Cup , a record that stands as of 2009 . . Honours . In 1967 Richard was inducted into the grade of Officer in the Order of Canada , making him one of the first members of the order . He was later promoted to Companion of the order in 1998 , the same year he was ranked number five on " The Hockey News " list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players , the highest - ranking Montreal Canadien . Richard was also given the rare distinction of being appointed to the Queen ' s Privy Council for Canada in 1992 , entitling him to the style " The Honourable " ( French : " L ' Honorable " ) for life . The appointment , and those of twenty others that year made by the Governor General of Canada on the advice of Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney , remains unusual as , traditionally , being made a privy councillor is an act reserved for members of Cabinet of Canada , Chief Justices of Canada , and certain others who require access to classified documents . In August 2008 , Canadian Pacific Railway named a station in his honour . Although Richard had a falling - out with the Canadiens not long after he retired in 1960 , he eventually patched things up and returned to them , serving the club as an unofficial goodwill ambassador from 1991 — highlighted by the Habs ' most recent ( to date ) Cup in 1993 until he died . The Maurice " Rocket " Richard Trophy was donated by the Montreal Canadiens hockey club to the NHL in 1999 , to be awarded annually to the goal - scoring leader during the regular season . Richard himself had led the league in goals five times . In 1996 at the closing of the Montreal Forum , a tearful " Rocket " received the longest standing ovation in the city ' s history : Over 16 minutes of adulation poured over him , chanting his nickname over and over again . Richard , always the reluctant hero , looked around in surprise for the first few minutes . When he realized the crowd was not letting up and their love for him was real , he broke down in tears whilst waving and mouthing " thank you " . He rarely showed this side of himself , as he always tried to remain humble . The last few minutes of adulation saw Richard closing his eyes , while the crowd chanted " GO HABS GO ! " over and over again . Richard later stated that when he closed his eyes and heard the crowd , it brought him back to his younger days . He thought it was a very loving gesture by the fans . A Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team was also named after him , the " Rocket de Montréal " , playing out of the Maurice Richard Arena ( in 2003 this team moved to Prince Edward Island becoming the P . E . I . Rocket ) . Their team logo prominently features Richard ' s number 9 . On June 27 , 2001 , the Government of Canada unveiled a monument in Jacques - Cartier Park , in Hull , Quebec , honouring Richard , and he was inducted into Canada ' s Walk of Fame . Despite being long retired by the time of his death in 2000 , an estimated 115 , 000 people of all ages paid their respects while his body lay in state at Montreal ' s Bell Centre . Following Richard ' s death , the Montreal Expos Major League baseball team wore Richard ' s number 9 , in black , on their right sleeves for the duration of the 2000 season , and flags were lowered to half mast as Quebec ' s National Assembly was suspended for the day . Richard was given a provincial state funeral that was broadcast live across Canada , Among those who attended were Governor General Adrienne Clarkson , Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Lise Thibault , various politicians ( including then Prime Minister of Canada , Jean Chrétien , and then Premier of Quebec Lucien Bouchard ) , Gordie Howe , Jean Béliveau , and Montreal Canadiens team captain Saku Koivu . Career statistics . " * indicates a Stanley Cup - winning season "