Hocky Rocket

Hockey Rocket

Once it seemed that old Referee Misfortune was always putting him in the penalty box. As Maurice ("The Rocket") Richard made his way up from the kid rinks of Montreal to the pro Canadiens, he first broke a leg, then an arm, then a leg. Now the Canadiens' freak left-handed right wing, he has shed his bad luck but kept his knack for breaking things. This week he broke the National Hockey League's goal-scoring record.

Taking a third period pass, Montreal's swarthy Rocket powered his 175 Ibs. in on Goalie McCool of the Toronto Maple Leafs, let fly a shot that rang up his 45th goal of the season. For six minutes 13,961 Montreal hockey bugs whistled, applauded, cluttered the ice with paper. Richard's shot snapped a 27-year-old record, and he still had eight games to go. (Those eight games might bring the league-leading Canadiens--won 33, tied 4, lost 5--a record, too; they need six victories to beat their own 1943-44 mark.)

Although many experts are inclined to discount wartime record-breakers, some are already comparing French-Canadian Maurice Richard with the incomparable Howie Morenz in speed, aggressiveness, accuracy, durability. Durable he certainly is, by any standard. Said he one afternoon last month: "I'm all tire out. Dis afternoon I move my partment bout tree block and can't get no truck. So my brudder and me we move everything. Don't depen' too much on me." That night he got five goals and three assists --a league scoring record.

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