Five Goals After the Big Move
(Montreal, December 28, 1944)
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Richard spends the whole day moving into a two-storey house.
Exhausted, he calls coach Dick Irvin and asks for the night off,
saying he won't be much good. The coach tells him to come in anyway.
That night, Richard sets an NHL record for the most points garnered
in a single game - 8, for 5 goals and 3 assists. (Montreal, December
28, 1944)
Photo: courtesy of the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club |
"The Rocket"
By the end of 1944, Maurice Richard has a new nickname. According to
one story, Richard's teammate, defenseman Ray Getliffe, had been overheard
the previous season by Montreal sports reporter Dink Carroll exclaiming
over a particularly nice manoeuvre by Richard during practice, "Geez,
he went in like a rocket!" In March 1944, Carroll is using "rocket" to
describe Richard's play. This season, on December 29, 1944, he uses
"Rocket" for the first time to refer to Richard himself. The name catches
on, and eventually becomes part of French usage as well, though it is
occasionally translated as "La fusée".
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