Montreal Canadiens: This Day In Habs History: Rocket Loses Goal Scoring Record

Montreal Canadiens legend Maurice Richard was the league’s goal scoring leader. That was, until Gordie Howe caught him.

The Montreal Canadiens had a lot of great players on their team over the years. None were more loved than Maurice “Rocket” Richard.

Richard debuted for the Habs in the 1942-43 season and put up 11 points in 16 games while missing time with a broken leg. He became a star in his second season when he scored 32 goals and 22 assists for 54 points in 46 games.

The Rocket became an icon the following year when he became the first player to score 50 goals in 50 games.

His status just continued to rise in Montreal as he was the best goal scorer in hockey by a wide margin the 1940s. He led the league in goals scored five times in his career, and the award given to the NHL’s leading goal scorer now bears the Rocket’s name.

On November 8, 1953 Richard scored his 325th goal and took over the all-time lead in NHL history. He passed Nels Stewart who retired in 2940 with 324 snipes. He continued to add to his total for seven more years, becoming the first player to even score 500 goals in NHL history and ultimately finished his career with 544 goals.

That is still the most goals even scored by a Montreal Canadiens player. Guy Lafleur came the closest to passing Richard, scoring 518 goals with the Habs before retiring in 1984.

Richard held the record as the league’s greatest goal scorer of all-time until this day, in 1963, when Gordie Howe scored his 544th and tied The Rocket.

Howe had ample time to add to his totals, as he didn’t retire from hockey until 1981, 18 years after he took over the NHL’s goal scoring lead. Howe held the record until Wayne Gretzky took over nearly three decades later.

The Rocket now ranks 31st all time, dropping out of the top 30 when Patrick Marleau passed him last season.