The Richard Riot was a riot on March 17, 1955, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The riot was named after Maurice Richard, the star ice hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). Following a violent altercation on March 13 in which Richard hit a linesman, NHL president Clarence Campbell suspended him for the remainder of the 1954–55 NHL season, including the playoffs. Montreal fans protested that the suspension was too severe; the team's largely Francophone fan base claimed the length of the suspension was motivated by Richard's French Canadian ethnicity. Outside of Montreal, however, the suspension was seen as justified and, if anything, too short.
Maurice Richard, the player for whom the riot was named
NHL President Clarence Campbell, shown in 1957 with the Stanley Cup
The Montreal Forum, site of the riot, as it looked in 2009
Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in one season, accomplishing the feat in 50 games in 1944–45, and the first to reach 500 career goals.
Richard in the 1940s
Richard (left) sits beside Toe Blake. The pair, along with Elmer Lach, comprised the "Punch line" in the 1940s.
Richard in 1945. His feat of scoring 50 goals in 50 games was unmatched until Mike Bossy in 1980–81.
A bloodied Richard shakes hands with Boston's goaltender Jim Henry after the Canadiens' 1952 Stanley Cup semi-finals win.