FAQ

Maurice Richard (August 4, 1921 May 27, 2000) was a professional ice hockey player who played as a right winger in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens between 1942 and 1960. During his career, he was the first to score 500 career goals and also scored 50 goals in 50 games during one season. He scored a total of 544 career goals during the regular season and 82 during the playoffs including 6 overtime winners which is an NHL record (tied with Joe Sakic). He was the captain of the Montreal Canadiens teams that won consecutive Stanley Cups between 1956 and 1960. Outside of hockey, Richard was regarded as a Quebec cultural legend, because he was a francophone who became successful in what was perceived as an anglophone world, despite Richard's insistence of being apolitical.

During a home game of the Montreal Canadiens on March 13, 1955, Maurice Richard was given a match penalty for intentionally injuring Hal Laycoe in a game against the Boston Bruins. Laycoe had highsticked Richard in the head during a Montreal power play. The referee signalled for a penalty to be called, but play was allowed to continue because the Canadiens had possession of the puck. Richard indicated to the referee that he'd been injured, and then skated up to Laycoe -- who had dropped his stick and gloves preparatory to a fight -- and struck Laycoe in the face and shoulders with his stick. The linesmen attempted to restrain Richard, who repeatedly broke away from them to attack Laycoe, even breaking his stick over his back. Moments passed and linesman Cliff Thompson restrained Richard by holding both his arms in a lock. Richard broke loose and punched Thompson twice in the face, knocking him unconscious. Richard later said at a league hearing that he thought Thompson was one of Boston's players. Richard was subsequentially suspended by the NHL for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. on the following March 17, NHL President Clarence Campbell arrived at the Montreal Canadiens home game versus the Detroit Red Wings. Fans attending the game began throwing objects at Campbell and a tear gas bomb went off and fans began exiting the Montreal Forum and vandalizing the city along St. Catherine Street. In the end, 12 police and 25 civilians were injured and a half-million dollars (about $4 million in 2008 Canadian currency) in damage was done against the city.

Yes it is. This is still a common, classless occurrence in Montreal in 2014. (Edit: Never heard anybody booing the star spangled banner in Montreal since like the 80's, saying that this is still a common classless occurence in Montreal in 2014 is an insult to all those welcoming people who will do everything to try speaking your language. I've travelled their a lot for hockey games, at the BellCenter, and they have always been kind to me. Don't put every single eggs in the same basket. But they would have all the reason to boo it since WE, americans, see them all as low-class people.)