Jacques Richard

Jacques A.G. Richard (October 7, 1952 – October 8, 2002) was a professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta Flames, Buffalo Sabres, and Quebec Nordiques. After an impressive junior career, Jacques Richard was considered a potential NHL superstar, but failed to live up to the promise. Trouble followed him during his career and, tragically, even into retirement. In 2002 Jacques Richard died in a car accident after celebrating his 50th birthday.
==Junior career==
Jacques Richard had a spectacular junior career with the Quebec Remparts, scoring 186 goals and 213 assists for 399 points in only 169 games. Playing with Guy Chouinard and Andre Savard he was a significant component of a devastating trio. At the time Richard was considered by some to have equal, if not more, pro potential than teammate Guy Lafleur.
==Pro career==
For the 1972-73 seaon the NHL added two teams, the Atlanta Flames and the New York Islanders, with a coin toss in June 1972 deciding which team would get the first choice in the draft. Concerned that the new WHA might sign the two top prospects, Billy Harris and Jacques Richard, the two expansion teams held their own "clandestine" coin toss in advance. New York won that toss and chose Billy Harris. This allowed the teams to begin immediate negotiations with the players.
Jacques Richard was drafted 2nd overall in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft. Jacques Richard was slated to be the marqee player by the expansion Atlanta Flames. However, he was to have a mostly indifferent pro career. Troubled at times by serious injuries, facial fractures in 1974-75 and a knee injury 1979-80, he also indulged in alcohol, gambling and eventually cocaine.
His rookie year in Atlanta was a disappointment. Richard rarely spoke to anyone that first year, perhaps a clue to problems adapting to the NHL, and he finished the season scoring only 13 goals. Teamed in his second season with Tom Lysiak his prospects seems brighter as he scored 27 goals. However, his play would eventually prove inadequate and he would begin to find himself shuffled between the NHL and the minors. After three years with Atlanta, he was finally traded to Buffalo.
Buffalo Sabre General Manager Punch Imlach in his book "Heaven and Hell in the NHL" recalled his travails dealing with Richard's drinking. On one occasion, Richard was forced to miss a game due to a sprained wrist which had been hurt in a bar fight. On another, he barely missed being shot by a patron in a bar. Imlach describes Richard as "a nice kid, good hockey player" but he was "wasting his talent". Richard spent the next five seasons alternating between the NHL and playing full seasons in the minors. He was finally traded again, this time to Quebec.
Now, in his eighth year as a pro and back in the city of his junior triumphs, the promise shown as a junior appeared to finally be realized. In the 1980–81 season playing on a line with the Stastny brothers Richard tallied 52 goals and 51 assists for 103 points, to finish 10th in the league in points and 7th in goals. However, this was to be the only time he was to show this potential. The next season he was moved off the line with the Stastnys and his mediocre play returned. He retired in 1983.
==Retirement and Death==
Richard's troubles continued after hockey. In 1989 he was arrested for attempting to smuggle cocaine, with an estimated street value of $1.5 million, into Canada. He was sentenced to seven years in prison. Then, on October 8, 2002, driving home from his 50th birthday party, Richard was killed in a single-vehicle accident when he drove his car into a culvert. 
==Awards and honours==
QMJHL All-Star First Team: 1970-71, 1971-72
QMJHL Beliveau Trophy: 1971-72 (points leader)
Named to QMJHL all-time All-Star team by the Canadian Hockey League in 1999.
==Career statistics==
  	  	  	 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	 	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1967–68 	Quebec Jr. Aces 	QJAHL 	 	50 	18 	18 	36 	? 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1968–69 	Quebec Jr. Aces 	QJAHL 	 	50 	23 	40 	63 	78 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1969–70 	Quebec Remparts 	QMJHL 	 	52 	62 	64 	126 	170 	 	15 	11 	14 	25 	30
1970–71 	Quebec Remparts 	QMJHL 	 	55 	53 	60 	113 	125 	 	14 	18 	17 	35 	42
1971–72 	Quebec Remparts 	QMJHL 	 	61 	71 	89 	160 	100 	 	15 	11 	26 	37 	23
1972–73 	Atlanta Flames 	NHL 	 	74 	13 	18 	31 	32 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1973–74 	Atlanta Flames 	NHL 	 	78 	27 	16 	43 	45 	 	4 	0 	0 	0 	2
1974–75 	Atlanta Flames 	NHL 	 	63 	17 	12 	29 	31 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1975–76 	Buffalo Sabres 	NHL 	 	73 	12 	23 	35 	31 	 	9 	1 	1 	2 	7
1976–77 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	44 	20 	25 	45 	42 	 	6 	3 	0 	3 	2
1976–77 	Buffalo Sabres 	NHL 	 	21 	2 	0 	2 	16 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1977–78 	Hershey Bears 	AHL 	 	54 	25 	23 	48 	29 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1978–79 	Buffalo Sabres 	NHL 	 	61 	10 	15 	25 	26 	 	3 	1 	0 	1 	0
1979–80 	Rochester Americans	AHL 	 	37 	13 	23 	36 	37 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1979–80 	Quebec Nordiques 	NHL 	 	14 	3 	12 	15 	4 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1980–81 	Quebec Nordiques 	NHL 	 	78 	52 	51 	103 	39 	 	5 	2 	4 	6 	14
1981–82 	Quebec Nordiques 	NHL 	 	59 	15 	26 	41 	77 	 	10 	1 	0 	1 	9
1982–83 	Fredericton Express	AHL 	 	19 	16 	15 	31 	16 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1982–83 	Quebec Nordiques 	NHL 	 	35 	9 	14 	23 	6 	 	4 	0 	0 	0 	2
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals	 	556 	160 	187 	347 	307 	 	35 	5 	5 	10 	34
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
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