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1953 Maurice "Rocket" Richard 50th goal...



Item # 590457

March 19, 1945

THE NEW YORK TIMES, March 19, 1945

* Maurice 'Rocket' Richard 
* National Hockey League 
* Montreal Canadians 
* Becomes 1st to score 50 goals in season (1st report)
 

This 32 page newspaper has a very small one column heading in the sport's section on page 15: "Richard gets 50th Goal". 1st report on Maurice 'Rocket' Richard becoming the very 1st NHL hockey player to score 50 goals in a single season. Includes the lineup for the game with scoring recap. Unfortunately a small report as hockey wasn't as popular back then, but it is was it is, a 1st report.

Other news, sports and advertisements of the day throughout. Rag edition in very nice condition.

wikipedia notes: Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard, PC, OC, OQ (August 4, 1921 – May 27, 2000) was a professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1942 to 1960. The "Rocket" was the most prolific goal-scorer of his era, the first to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50 games. He lived most of his life in Ahuntsic, Montreal.[1]

Richard was the first to score 50 goals in one season (the 1944–45 NHL season), doing so in 50 games, and the first to score 500 goals in a career. He finished his career with 544 goals in the regular season, with 82 in the playoffs which included a record six overtime winners (surpassed only by Joe Sakic who has eight), and led the league in goals five times. He also amassed 421 assists for a total of 965 points in 978 games.

Richard won the Stanley Cup 8 times in Montreal, was captain of 5 straight cup wins from 1956–1960, won the Hart Trophy in 1947, and was elected eight times to the first all-star team and six times to the second all-star team, and played in every National Hockey League All-Star Game from 1947 to 1959. Teamed with Elmer Lach as centre and Hector 'Toe' Blake playing left-wing, they formed the "Punch Line".

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961, the customary three-year waiting period being waived in his honour.

Category: The 20th Century