| Position | Centre |
| Shot | Right |
| Nickname(s) | The Pocket Rocket |
| Height Weight |
5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) 160 lb (73 kg/11 st) |
| Pro Clubs | Montreal Canadiens |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | February 29 1936 , Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Pro Career | 1955 – 1975 |
| Hall of Fame, 1979 | |
Joseph Henri Richard (born February 29, 1936 in Montreal, Quebec) is a former professional ice hockey player who played centre with the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1955 to 1975. Although 15 years his junior, he was the brother of hockey legend Maurice 'The Rocket' Richard and consequently, because he was smaller at only 5 ft 7 in and 160 lb (73 kg), he was given the nickname The Pocket-Rocket[1].
Playing career
Although the Rocket shot left, Henri shot right. Maurice played his 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, which is more than any other player in NHL history. 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. 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. He was named captain of the Canadiens in 1971 and always wore 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. His name appears on the Stanley Cup 11 times, more than any other player.
Career Statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1952-53 | Montreal Royals | QSHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1955-56 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 64 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 46 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 21 | ||
| 1956-57 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 63 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 71 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 1957-58 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 67 | 28 | 52 | 80 | 56 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 11 | ||
| 1958-59 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 63 | 21 | 30 | 51 | 33 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 13 | ||
| 1959-60 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 30 | 43 | 73 | 66 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 9 | ||
| 1960-61 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 70 | 24 | 44 | 68 | 91 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 22 | ||
| 1961-62 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 54 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 48 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1962-63 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 67 | 23 | 50 | 73 | 57 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1963-64 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 66 | 14 | 39 | 53 | 73 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 1964-65 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 53 | 23 | 29 | 52 | 43 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 24 | ||
| 1965-66 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 62 | 22 | 39 | 61 | 47 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1966-67 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 65 | 21 | 34 | 55 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 1967-68 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 54 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 16 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 1968-69 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 64 | 15 | 37 | 52 | 45 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 1969-70 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 62 | 16 | 36 | 52 | 61 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1970-71 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 75 | 12 | 37 | 49 | 46 | 20 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 20 | ||
| 1971-72 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 78 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 48 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1972-73 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 71 | 8 | 35 | 43 | 21 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 14 | ||
| 1973-74 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 75 | 19 | 36 | 55 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1974-75 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 16 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| NHL Totals | 1259 | 358 | 688 | 1046 | 928 | 180 | 49 | 80 | 129 | 181 | ||||
See also
- List of NHL players
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- Notable families in the NHL
- List of NHL players with 1000 points
| Preceded by: Jean Béliveau |
Montreal Canadiens Captains 1971 - 75 |
Followed by: Yvan Cournoyer |
