The Montreal Canadiens have announced Hall of Fame forward Henri Richard has died at the age of 84 years old.
It’s a sad day for the NHL. Earlier on Friday, March 6, the Montreal Canadiens announced that forward Henri Richard has passed away at the age of 84 years old. Richard spent his entire 20-year NHL career with the Habs.
The surname Richard is quite famous for the Canadiens. Obviously, Maurice Richard, one of the NHL’s greatest goal scorers ever, played for the Habs for his entire career. Henri was Maurice’s little brother. In many ways, he took the torch from Maurice and helped the surname “Richard” became synonymous with greatness in Montreal.
Henri is most famous for winning 11 Stanley Cups with the Canadiens. That’s the most of any player in NHL history. It’s also tied with Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics of the NBA for the most titles won by an athlete in one of the four major sports (NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL).
The Montreal Canadiens are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the organization's greatest legends and ambassadors, Henri Richard, this morning. Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to the Richard family.https://t.co/8zuCcsd2Fg
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 6, 2020
More from Montreal Canadiens
- Penguins: Grading how each team did in the Erik Karlsson trade
- Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings make a decent trade
- Montreal Canadiens: Is New Acquisition DeSmith the Answer in Goal?
- The winners and losers from day one of the 2023 NHL Draft
- 2023 NHL Draft Live Updates: News, Draft Selections, Trades and More
The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in each of his first five seasons in the NHL. Though he never won a major award other than the Masterton in 1973-74, he was named to one first-team All-Star team (1958) and three second-team All-Star teams (1959, 1961, 1963).
Montreal has been the home for many great hockey players, and Henri’s name belongs among them. His 1,258 regular-season games played with the Canadiens is the most in franchise history. Also, he ranks eighth in goals (358), third in assists (688), third in points (1,046), and fifth in even-strength goals.
Richard ranks third in franchise history in postseason games played as well, with 180. His 129 postseason points are the fifth-most in franchise history. Other than perhaps the late Jean Beliveau, no name is more synonymous with winning in Montreal than Henri Richard’s.
His older brother Maurice was known as the “Rocket”, so it’s appropriate Henri’s nickname was “The Pocket Rocket”. Henri was listed as being three inches shorter than Maurice. He managed to follow in his older brother’s footsteps, as he served as the Montreal Canadiens captain from 1971 to 1975. Maurice was the Canadiens captain for four seasons as well.
Henri had quite the legacy to uphold. After all, there might not be a more beloved player in franchise history than his older brother Maurice. Yet Henri managed to further the legacy of his surname and make his brother proud. Both of the Richards are enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. This is truly a sad day for the NHL, as Henri Richard was one of the NHL’s greatest ambassadors.