626 x 9: A Goal-by-Goal Timeline of Maurice "The Rocket" Richard's Scoring Career in Pictures, Stats, and Stories

Bob Forsey is the education officer at the Newfoundland Museum in St.
John’s.

Maurice “The Rocket” Richard’s 626 career goals, including 50
goals in 50 games, and 1,091 points in 1,111 games, ensured his election
to the NHL Hall of Fame in 1961. 626 x 9 describes how Richard overcame
obstacles and achieved hockey superstardom by dint of passion and
willpower.

The author focuses on the compelling reasons why veteran fans and
sports commentators still marvel over the Rocket’s scoring feats 45
years after his last game. They remember the fire in his eyes as he
powered to the net from right wing, fending off a defenceman, faking out
the goaltender, and snapping a shot into the top corner.

NHL experts doubted that Richard could endure the tough physical play
of the NHL due a history of injuries in the minors and in his first NHL
seasons. (“He’s too brittle.”) Richard proved them wrong. He
excelled in the playoffs, scoring 82 goals, including 18 game and 6
overtime winners. The Rocket played hard and his temper had a short
fuse; when it exploded, he sometimes reacted blindly.

League president Clarence Campbell was not amused by the Rocket’s
haymaker on a linesman in a March 6, 1955 game. Campbell suspended the
Rocket for the rest of the season and the playoffs. Canadiens fans
reacted fiercely to this injustice, and a few of the more rabid ones
assaulted Campbell at the next Canadiens home game on March 17. The game
was forfeited and the riot that ensued on the streets ended only after
Richard’s radio appeal for calm.

This engaging book is all about Rocket Richard’s passion for hockey.