Maurice "The Rocket" Richard was born on Auguest 4, 1921 in Verdun, Quebec, Canada. Richard came through the Montreal Canadiens system and broke into the NHL in the 1942-43 season. Injuries plagued "The Rocket" throughout his career, including his rookie year when a broken ankle limited him to only 16 games. The thought of quitting came to his mind, but Richard persevered and made a recovery and returned to hockey in the NHL. In 1944-45 Richard scored 50 goals in 50 games establishing a single season record for goals scored. That record wouldn't be broken until Bobby Hull would score 54 goals, though in a much longer, 70 game season. Wayne Gretzky would eventually break the record for fastest to reach 50 goals by accomplishing the feat in just 39 games.
Maurice Richard scored his 500th career goal in 1957 and would eventually retire after the 1959-60 season as injuries caught up to him. Richard was one of the most prolific scorer in the six-team NHL, including scoring 82 post season goals and have 26 games with three or more goals scored. Richard made fourteen All-Star appearances and added eight Stanley Cup Championships, including one in his final season. Richard spent his entire career with the Montreal Canadiens and his 544 career goals to date remain the highest in Montreal Canadiens history. The Rocket was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 and as of the 1998-99 season, the National Hockey League has started awarding the "Maurice Richard Trophy" for the regular season league leader in goal scoring.
Maurice Richard passed away on May 27, 2000 making this collection and his autograph extremely collectable and a piece of hockey's history.
