Montreal Canadiens: Looking Back at the Greatest Forwards #7

Looking through the history books, you’ll never find someone who embodied skill and toughness more than Montreal Canadiens left-winger Dickie Moore.

Hockey players are tagged with being the strongest athletes in professional sports. At the end of every Stanley Cup Playoff series, fans are in shock and awe to learn of some of the players playing through intense injuries. The Montreal Canadiens had a player who fit the bill of being one of the toughest guys in the league. His name was Richard “Dickie” Moore.

Many would consider Moore as the best left-winger in Montreal Canadiens history. Dickie started out his career with the Habs in 1951 as a 21-year-old. His first season went fairly well in the NHL with 18 goals and 15 assists in 15 games.

Unfortunately, injuries would set him back for the next two seasons. Moore only played a combined 31 games for the Habs during those two years. After taking time to heal, Dickie would start to become one of the greatest offensive forwards of his time.

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His point totals would increase for the next three seasons after. The well-known story of Moore’s 1957-1958 season is why many remember him as being one of the toughest to ever play the game.

Determined to Win

Dickie was on his way to winning his first Art Ross Trophy. Unfortunately, half-way through the season Moore broke his wrist after a collision with Marcel Pronovost of the Detroit Red Wings. He knew that he could still play with it, but didn’t think it was fair to stay in the line-up. Additionally, Moore being out of the line-up would’ve probably paved the way for Henri Richard to win it.

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After a meeting with line-mates Henri and Maurice Richard, it was decided that he would stay in. That just shows how much he meant to the team as they’d rather see him play injured than not at all. Dickie finished the rest of the season with a cast and won the Art Ross with an 84 points season. One wasn’t enough for him because he would win it again the season after with 96 points.

Moore won six Stanley Cups with the Canadiens, including five with the 1956-1960 dynasty. He had his best performance during the 1959 cup run with 17 points in 11 playoff games.

He retired from the NHL after two brief stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the St. Louis Blues. However, it was with the Montreal Canadiens where Dickie left his mark. He was induced into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974. Additionally, his number 12 was co-retired along with Yvan Cournoyer in 2005.

Dickie passed away at the age of 84 because of colon cancer. Hearing stories like his helps us remember him and proves how hard it is to compete in the NHL. It’s nice to know that they’re still players out there willing to do whatever it takes to win. Luckily for Montreal Canadiens fans, Dickie was one of the best to ever do it.

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Do you have any memories from another Habs great in Moore? Let us know down below in the comments!

Player stats from Hockey-Reference.com