The Rocket's teammates congratulate him after the 3-star game
Enlarge Image
The Rocket's teammates
congratulate him after the 3-star game.
Photo: La Presse

The Three-Star Game
(Montreal, March 23, 1944)

Audio - The Three-Star Game

Playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Forum, Richard scores five goals – the team's entire tally – setting a record for goals scored in a playoff game. At game's end, it is decided (but not announced) that Richard should be awarded all three stars. When he skates out to acknowledge the "Third Star", the crowd boos, thinking he should have won the first. When he skates out again for the "Second Star", they begin to catch on, and when he appears for the "First Star", they go wild. This is the night that Maurice Richard becomes a superstar. He goes on to score another 5 goals in the playoff series (for a record 12), leading the Canadiens to their first Stanley Cup in 13 years.