1954 – 55 Montreal Canadiens season The 1954 – 55 Montreal Canadiens season was the Canadiens ' 46th season of play . The Canadiens finished in second place in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) with a record of 41 wins , 18 losses , and 11 ties for 93 points . In the playoffs , they defeated the Boston Bruins in five games in the semi - finals before falling to the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the Stanley Cup Finals . This season was notable for the suspension of Maurice " Rocket " Richard , Montreal ' s star player , by NHL president Clarence Campbell after a vicious fight with Boston defenceman Hal Laycoe and Richard punching an on - ice official . The suspension sparked a riot by angry Canadiens fans on March 17 , 1955 , during a game against the Red Wings ( see below ) . Regular season . The Richard Riot . On March 13 , 1955 , Canadiens star Maurice Richard was involved in an fighting incident in Boston . Boston ' s Hal Laycoe high - sticked Richard and cut him on the head , momentarily leaving Richard dazed and prone on the ice . Richard then got up off the ice and attacked Laycoe , breaking his stick on Laycoe . While linesman Cliff Thompson restrained Richard , Laycoe got up and punched Richard . Richard broke free and punched Thompson in the face . This was Richard ' s second incident with an official that season and a league disciplinary hearing was held . NHL president Clarence Campbell ( who had previously been criticized publicly by Richard ) then suspended Richard for the rest of the season and the playoffs ; at the time , this was the longest suspension for an on - ice incident in NHL history . The Bruins ' Laycoe received no fine or suspension for his actions . Public outrage from Montreal soon poured in , but Campbell stood firm , and moreover announced that he would be attending the Canadiens ' next home game against the Red Wings on March 17 . Midway into the first period , Campbell arrived with his fiancée . 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 , building up a 4 - 1 lead on Montreal . 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 evacuated and Campbell ruled the game forfeited to the Red Wings . That was the last straw , as 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 policemen and 25 civilians were injured . The riot continued well into the night , with police arresting people by the truckload . Local radio stations , which carried live coverage of the riot for over seven hours , had to be forced off the air . The riot was eventually over at 3 am , and left Montreal ' s Rue Ste - Catherine a mess . Richard ' s suspension also cost him the Art Ross Trophy , the closest he ever came to winning it . When Richard ' s teammate Bernie Geoffrion passed him on the last day of the regular season , he was booed by Montreal faithful . Geoffrion , a right winger , was struggling to gain recognition of his considerable talents because the three leading right wingers of the 1950s were Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings , Andy Bathgate of the New York Rangers , and Richard , Geoffrion ' s own teammate . The Canadiens lost the Cup Final to Detroit in seven games , but would win the Cup in the year after , fittingly over the Red Wings — and the next four years in a row after that . Richard retired in 1960 after the Canadiens ' fifth straight Stanley Cup , a record that still stands . Game log . ‡ Forfeited to Detroit after one period . Goals and assists for the game still counted as official . Playoffs . Montreal defeated the Boston Bruins 4 – 1 to reach the finals . Stanley Cup Final . Detroit Red Wings vs . Montreal Canadiens " Detroit wins best - of - seven series 4 games to 3 . " References . < / div >