The younger brother of the greatest sibling act to ever lace up skates, Henri Richard wasn’t given much of a chance to make the team when he appeared at the Montreal Canadiens training camp in 1955. Standing 5’ 7” tall and tipping the scales at 160 pounds when fully dressed, The Rocket’s little brother was no lightweight when it came to hockey talent.

As fierce a competitor as anyone to ever play the game, young Henri was a gifted all-around player who had more tools than most. While Maurice excelled from the blue line in, Henri held his own all over the ice. He had speed and maneuverability as well as the capability to hold the puck for as long as he wanted to keep it. Within a few days of the camp’s opening, veterans were impressed; some suggesting that scrimmages ought to have two pucks, one for Richard and one for the rest of the guys to play with.

It was tough enough to be a rookie in the NHL of the 1950s, but when a newcomer was the brother of the game’s biggest name, he had a rough go of it the first few times through the league as veterans put him through the time-honored process of proving he deserved to be there. Richard never backed down, met his challengers head-on and rarely lost a fight against his much bigger tormenters. Through 20 seasons, he wore the number 16 of the only team he ever wanted to play for, appearing in more games than any other member of the Montreal Canadiens, and having his name engraved 11 times on Lord Stanley’s Cup. While records are made to be broken, it’s a safe bet that this one will stand for all time.

As the team’s second line center, he scored 19 times his first year before potting 20 or more in each of the next six seasons. In his second season, he led the NHL in assists. He broke in as the Habs began their five-year domination of the league, the most feared offensive outfit the game had ever seen rolling over all opposition on the way to an unmatched five straight Stanley Cups.

Fast, shifty and absolutely driven to win at any cost, the kid from Montreal led by example. Never vocal, he let his game do the talking, excelling in every aspect and coming through when the stakes were the highest. In 1959-60, he capped the drive to five by leading all playoff scorers with 12 points. One of a handful of men with more than one Stanley Cup winning goal to his credit, Richard’s stick sealed things for the Habs in 1966 and again in 1971.

Jean Beliveau moved into the Canadiens executive suite following the 1970-71 season. Richard was elected to succeed him as team captain and carried the torch proudly for the last four years of his career, leading the team to their 17th Stanley Cup title in the spring of 1973.
Richard won the only individual honor of his long career in 1973-74, the Bill Masterton Trophy. Awarded to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, it could not have had a more fitting recipient. Richard’s body gave out on him shortly after the beginning of the 1974-75 season, his 20th in the NHL, and after over 1,400 games wearing the trademark red, white and blue sweater of the Montreal Canadiens, he hung up his skates for good.
He leads the Habs in regular season service time with 1256 appearances over 20 NHL campaigns. With 358 goals, 688 assists and 928 points in regular season competition, Henri Richard is among his team’s all-time leaders in every offensive category and is also one of ten men who have had their sweaters retired by the team.
Acknowledged as one of the games greats, Henri Richard was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979. Still active at 70, Richard is an avid golfer with five holes in one to his credit so far. He spends a lot of his time representing the Montreal Canadiens, one of the five Ambassadors who serve as the public face of the team at hundreds of corporate and community events annually.