Playing Career
Although the Rocket shot left (left hand lower on the stick), Henri shot right. Maurice played off wing and Henri played centre. Throughout, the two brothers' style of play was quite different. Henri led the league in assists in 1957–58 and 1962–63, a feat never matched by his famous brother.
Henri won 11 Stanley Cups, more than any other player in NHL history. Former teammate and predecessor as team captain Jean Béliveau has 17 Stanley Cup titles, but only 10 as a player (the other 7 as an executive.) Only one other athlete in North American professional sports has achieved winning eleven championships in his respective league - Bill Russell of the NBA's Boston Celtics.
The 11 Cup titles gave Henri the unusual claim of having more championships than he had birthdays at the end of his career. He was born on February 29 during a leap year, so his birthday came around only 9 times before he played his final game.
In 1957–58, he was named to the First All-Star Team and in 1959 he was named to the Second All-Star Team.
In his career, he scored 358 goals and earned 688 assists in 1256 games. His 1256 regular-season games played in a Canadiens uniform are a franchise record.
He scored the Stanley Cup clinching goal at the 2:20 mark of the first overtime in Game Six to win the 1966 Stanley Cup Finals for the Canadiens against Detroit.
He was named captain of the Canadiens in 1971 and always wore the number 16 which was retired December 10, 1975 by the Canadiens in his honour. Henri retired in 1975 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979. In 1998, he was ranked number 29 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. He currently serves as an ambassador for the Canadiens' organization.
Read more about this topic: Henri Richard
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Treacherous tip of me reaching and crowding to help them,
My flesh and blood playing out lightning to strike what is hardly
different from myself,
On all sides prurient provokers stiffening my limbs,”
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