Remembering the Rocket: A Celebration

Al Stray is manager of the Port Credit Public Library.

Rocket Richard, Number 9, was the first player to score 50 goals in 50
games and still holds four NHL records. This collection of newspaper and
magazine articles by such well-known Canadian journalists as Trent
Frayne, Andy O’Brien, and June Callwood is a celebration of Quebec’s
hockey hero of the 1940s and 1950s. Viewed in their entirety, the essays
present a balanced view of Richard, who is depicted variously as hero,
villain, family man, brooding loner, and aging hockey legend.

Richard will always be associated with the infamous Montreal Forum riot
of 1955. Forty years after his suspension from the 1955 playoffs,
Richard remained convinced that the other team owners plotted to keep
him out of the playoffs. Like many former stars, he was upset about the
business end of the game (the Rocket never made more than $50,000 in his
career). In stark contrast to the experience of Wayne Gretzky, Richard
virtually disappeared from the public eye following his retirement in
1960. There was no coast-to-cost outpouring of adoration.

MacInnis is a true fan. He ranks Richard leading former and current
Canadiens from the old Forum to the new Molson Centre in March 1996
ahead of both Paul Henderson’s 1972 goal and Joe Carter’s World
Series home run in 1993, describing the scene as “the most profound
sporting moment to cut across the country’s social and political
lines.” This book, which features a mix of color and black-and-white
photographs, is a great introduction to a great hockey legend.