Richard Riot - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Richard Riot was a riot

Riot

A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...

on March 17, 1955 (Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...

) in Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The riot was named after Maurice Richard

Maurice Richard

Joseph Henri Maurice "the Rocket" Richard, Sr., was a French-Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League from 1942 to 1960. The "Rocket" was the most prolific goal-scorer of his era, the first to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50...

, the star ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

player for the Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

of the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

(NHL). Following a violent altercation on March 13 in which Richard hit a linesman, NHL president

NHL Commissioner

The National Hockey League Commissioner is the highest-ranking executive officer in the National Hockey League . The position was created in 1993 with Gary Bettman as the first Commissioner...

Clarence Campbell

Clarence Sutherland Campbell OBE, QC was the third president of the National Hockey League from 1946 to 1977.-Early life and career:...

suspended him for the remainder of the 1954–55 season, including the playoffs. Montreal fans protested that the suspension was too severe; the team's largely francophone

Francophone

The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....

fan base claimed the length of the suspension was motivated by Richard's French Canadian

French Canadian

French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...

ethnicity. Outside of Montreal, however, the suspension was seen as justified and, if anything, too short.

On March 17, Campbell appeared at the Montreal Forum

Montreal Forum

The Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996...

for the Canadiens' first game after Richard's suspension. His presence provoked a riot at the Forum that spilled into the streets. The riot caused an estimated $100,000 in property damage, 37 injuries, and 100 arrests. Tensions eased after Richard made a personal plea accepting his punishment and promising to return the following year to help the team win the Stanley Cup

Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

. The suspension cost Richard the 1954–55 scoring title

Art Ross Trophy

The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the NHL by former player, general manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 61 times to 25 players since its inception...

and his coach, Dick Irvin

Dick Irvin

James Dickinson Irvin, Sr. was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League.Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Irvin was one of the greatest players of his day, balancing a torrid slapshot and tough style with gentlemanly play...

, his job.

The Richard Riot was a sign of rising ethnic tensions in Quebec between English

English Canadian

An English Canadian is a Canadian of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual state, with English and French official language communities. Immigrant cultural groups ostensibly integrate into one or both of these communities, but...

and French Canadian

French Canadian

French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...

s. It has taken on a greater significance in the years following; the sight of French Quebeckers rioting in defense of a Québécois hero has led some to believe that it was a significant factor in Quebec's Quiet Revolution

Quiet Revolution

The Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...

Background

Maurice Richard

was the star player for the Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens

, and it was common for opponents to provoke him during games. Teams reportedly sent players onto the ice to purposefully annoy him by yelling ethnic slurs, hooking, slashing

Slashing (ice hockey)

Slashing in ice hockey is a penalty called when an offending player swings their hockey stick at an opposing player, regardless of contact. Such a penalty may range from a minor penalty to a match penalty, depending on the seriousness of the injury to the opposing player.-External links:*...

and holding him as much as possible. Throughout his career, Richard was fined and suspended several times for retaliatory assaults on players and officials, including a $250 fine for slapping a linesman in the face less than three months before the March 13, 1955 incident. Richard was considered the embodiment of French-Canadians and was a hero during a time when they were seen as second-class citizens. He was revered when he fought the "damn English" during games. In his book, The Rocket: A Cultural History of Maurice Richard, Benoît Melançon compares Richard to Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

's Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...

by stating that both players represented the possibility for their minority groups to succeed in North America.

During the 1950s, Quebec's industries and natural resources were controlled primarily by English Canadians or Americans. Québécois

French-speaking Quebecer

French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....

were the lowest-paid ethnic group in Quebec, which resulted in a sense that control rested with the Anglophone minority. Because of this and other factors, there had been growing discontent in the years before the riot. In early 1954, Richard's teammate, Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion

Bernie Geoffrion

Joseph André Bernard Geoffrion , nicknamed Boom Boom, was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Generally considered as one of the innovators of the slapshot, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972 following a 16-year career with the Montreal Canadiens and New York...

, was suspended in a move seen as anti-Francophone. Following the suspension, Richard, who had a weekly column in the Samedi-Dimanche newspaper, called League president Campbell a "dictator" in print. The league in turn forced Richard to retract his statement and stop writing in the newspaper. In his 1976 biography of Richard, Jean-Marie Pellerin wrote that his humiliation was shared by all Québécois, who were sent running once more by the "English boot". This was reflected in a Montreal newspaper's editorial cartoon (pictured), which portrayed him as an unruly schoolchild made to write lines by Campbell, shown as the teacher; the cartoon had a deeper meaning as an example of the societal hierarchy that existed between English and French Canadians.

Incident

On March 13, 1955, an on-ice episode sparked one of the worst incidents of hockey-related violence in history. On that date, Richard was part of a violent confrontation in a game between the Canadiens and rival

Bruins–Canadiens rivalry

The rivalry between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League is considered "one of the greatest rivalries in sports," along with the Yankees – Red Sox and Bears–Packers rivalries...

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

. The Bruins' Hal Laycoe

Hal Laycoe

Harold Richardson Laycoe was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman.Laycoe started his National Hockey League career with the New York Rangers. He would also play with the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. His playing career lasted from 1945 to 1956...

, who had previously played defence for the Canadiens, high-sticked

High-Sticking

High-sticking is the name of two infractions in the sport of ice hockey that may occur when a player intentionally or inadvertently plays with his or her stick above the height of the shoulders or above the cross bar of a hockey goal. This can result in a stoppage of play or in a penalty...

Richard in the head during a Montreal power play

Power play (sport)

"Power play" is a sporting term used in various games.*In ice hockey, a team is said to be on a power play when at least one opposing player is serving a penalty, and the team has a numerical advantage on the ice...

. Richard required five stitches to close a cut that resulted from the high-stick. Referee Frank Udvari

Frank Udvari

Frank Joseph Udvari in Yugoslavia was a NHL referee during the 1950s and 60s. He was the presiding referee during the game which initially sparked the Richard Riot. He was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973.-External links:*...

signaled a delayed penalty

Penalty (ice hockey)

A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...

, but allowed play to continue because the Canadiens had possession of the puck. When the play ended, Richard skated up to Laycoe, who had dropped his stick and gloves in anticipation of a fight

Violence in ice hockey

Violence has been a part of ice hockey since at least the early 1900s. According to the book Hockey: A People's History, in 1904 alone, four players were killed during hockey games from the frequent brawls and violent stickwork....

, and struck him in the face and shoulders with his stick. The linesmen attempted to restrain Richard, who repeatedly broke away from them to continue his attack on Laycoe, eventually breaking a stick over his opponent's body before linesman Cliff Thompson

Cliff Thompson

Cliff Thompson was an American professional ice hockey player. He played defense in the Boston Bruins organization from 1939 until 1950, playing for the NHL Bruins in 1941–42 and 1948–49.-Playing career:...

corralled him. Richard broke loose again and punched Thompson twice in the face, knocking him unconscious. Richard then left the ice with the Canadiens' trainer. According to Montreal Herald writer Vince Lunny, Richard's face looked like a "smashed tomato." Richard was given a match penalty and an automatic $100 fine, while Laycoe got a five-minute major penalty plus a 10-minute misconduct for the high stick.

Boston police

Boston Police Department

The Boston Police Department , created in 1838, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest police departments in the United States...

attempted to arrest Richard in the dressing room after the game ended, but were turned back by Canadiens players who barred the door, preventing any arrest. Bruins management finally persuaded the officers to leave with a promise that the NHL would handle the issue. Richard was never arrested for the incident. He was instead sent to the hospital by team doctors after complaining of headaches and stomach pains.

The Laycoe incident was Richard's second altercation with an official that season, after having slapped a linesman in the face in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

the previous December, for which he was fined $250. Upon hearing the referee's report, league president Clarence Campbell

Clarence Campbell

Clarence Sutherland Campbell OBE, QC was the third president of the National Hockey League from 1946 to 1977.-Early life and career:...

ordered all parties to appear at a March 16 hearing at his office in Montreal.

Hearing

The game's on-ice officials, Richard, Laycoe, Montreal assistant general manager Ken Reardon

Ken Reardon

Kenneth Joseph "Kenny" Reardon was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966....

, Boston general manager Lynn Patrick

Lynn Patrick

Joseph Lynn Patrick was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. As a player, Patrick played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League. Lynn was an important member of one Stanley Cup title the Rangers won in 1940. After his playing career, he went on to be the general...

, Montreal coach Dick Irvin

Dick Irvin

and NHL referee-in-chief Carl Voss

Carl Voss

Carl Potter Voss was an American ice hockey forward in the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...

attended the March 16 hearing. In his defense, Richard contended that he was dazed and thought Thompson was one of Boston's players. He did not deny punching or attacking Laycoe.

After the hearing, Campbell issued a 1200-word statement to the press:

... I have no hesitation in coming to the conclusion that the attack on Laycoe was not only deliberate but persisted in the face of all authority and that the referee acted with proper judgment in awarding a match penalty. I am also satisfied that Richard did not strike linesman Thompson as a result of a mistake or accident as suggested ... Assistance can also be obtained from an incident that occurred less than three months ago in which the pattern of conduct of Richard was almost identical, including his constant resort to the recovery of his stick to pursue his opponent, as well as flouting the authority of and striking officials. On the previous occasion he was fortunate that teammates and officials were more effective in preventing him from doing injury to anyone and the penalty was more lenient in consequence. At the time he was warned there must be no further incident ... The time for probation or leniency is past. Whether this type of conduct is the product of temperamental instability or willful defiance of the authority in the games does not matter. It is a type of conduct which cannot be tolerated by any player - star or otherwise. Richard will be suspended from all games both league and playoff for the balance of the current season.

The suspension – the longest that Campbell ever issued in his 31 years as league President – was considered by many in Montreal to be unjust and severe. No sooner had the judgment been handed out than the NHL office (then in Montreal) was deluged with hundreds of calls from enraged fans, many of whom made death threats against Campbell.

The general feeling around the league was that the punishment could have been more severe. Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

general manager

General manager

General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...

Jack Adams commented that Campbell "could do no less" and "I thought he would be suspended until January 1 of next season." Red Wings forward Ted Lindsay

Ted Lindsay

Robert Blake Theodore Lindsay is a former professional ice hockey player, a forward for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League . He scored over 800 points in his Hockey Hall of Fame career, won the Art Ross Trophy in 1950, and won the Stanley Cup four times...

, whom the league had disciplined for an incident in Toronto in which he attacked a Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

fan who had been threatening teammate Gordie Howe

Gordie Howe

Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League , and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association . Howe is often referred to as Mr...

, opined that Richard was lucky not to get a life suspension. He stated, "in baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, football

Gridiron football

Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...

or almost anything else that much would be almost automatic. I say they should have suspended him for life." Bruins president Walter A. Brown

Walter A. Brown

Walter A. Brown was the original owner of the Boston Celtics as well as an important figure in the development of ice hockey in the United States.-Life:...

agreed with Adams, saying, "That's the least they could do", and Bruins player Fleming Mackell

Fleming Mackell

Fleming David Mackell is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward.-Playing career:After a stage with St-Michaels, the Toronto Maple Leafs OHA affiliate, Mackell began his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1948. The majority of his career was spent with the Boston Bruins...

commented, "if they had thrown the book at Richard in 1947 when he cut Bill Ezinicki

Bill Ezinicki

William "Wild Bill" Ezinicki is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs , the Boston Bruins , and the New York Rangers of the NHL....

and Vic Lynn

Vic Lynn

Victor Ivan Lynn was a professional ice hockey player in the NHL. He played for all of the NHL's Original Six teams.-Professional career:In 1943 Lynn played one game for the New York Rangers....

, it might have stopped him and made him an even greater hockey player because of it." Interest was high in the hockey world; the Detroit Press reported its switchboard was swamped with calls.

Riot

Public outrage from Montreal poured in about what residents felt was a too-severe punishment. Many Quebecers

French-speaking Quebecer

French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....

saw the suspension as the English minority further attempting to subjugate the French majority and an attempt to humiliate French Canadiens by "excessively punishing their favorite player". Campbell, who received death threats, stated that he would not back down and announced his intention to attend the Canadiens' next home game against the Red Wings on March 17, despite advice that he not do so. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the Montreal Forum

Montreal Forum

lobby two hours before the game. Attempts to "crash the gate" by these fans without tickets were denied by police. They then began to gather at Cabot Square

Cabot Square, Montreal

Cabot Square is an urban square in Montreal, between the former Montreal Forum and the Montreal Children's Hospital.The square is located in the Shaughnessy Village neighbourhood, an area which has been recently re-dubbed the Qurtier des Grands Jardins and has been slated for redevelopment.It is...

across from the Forum. The crowd of demonstrators grew to 6,000. Some carried signs that denounced Campbell, and others had signs reading - "Vive Richard" (Long live Richard), "No Richard, no Cup", "Our national sport destroyed", and many others. The crowd, originally described as "jovial", turned "surly" after police intervened at the ticket gate. After the mood turned foul, some members of the crowd began smashing windows and throwing ice chunks at passing streetcars.

The game vs. Detroit was a battle for first place, but the suspension unsettled the Canadiens. Goaltender Jacques Plante

Jacques Plante

Joseph Jacques Omer Plante was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career lasting from 1947–1975, he was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey...

later recalled that the game seemed secondary, and players and officials were "casting worried glances at the sullen crowd". Montreal coach Dick Irvin

Dick Irvin

likewise said afterward, "The people didn't care if we got licked 100-1 that night."
Midway through the first period, with Montreal already down 2–0, Campbell arrived with three secretaries from his office (one of which he would later marry). The 15,000 in attendance immediately started booing Campbell. Some fans began pelting them with eggs, vegetables, and various debris for six straight minutes. At the end of the first period, Detroit had taken 4–1 lead, and the barrage began again. Despite police and ushers' attempts to keep fans away from Campbell, a fan, pretending to be a friend of Campbell's, managed to elude security. As he approached, the fan extended his hand as if to shake Campbell's. When Campbell reached out to shake his hand, the fan slapped him. As Campbell reeled from the attack, the fan reached back and delivered a punch. Police dragged the attacker away while he attempted to kick the NHL president. Shortly after the fan attack, a tear gas bomb was set off inside the Forum, not far from where Campbell was sitting. Montreal Fire Chief

Fire chief

Fire Chief is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department, either elected or appointed...

Armand Pare mandated that the game be suspended for "the protection of the fans," and The Forum was evacuated. Following the evacuation, Campbell took refuge in the Forum clinic, where he met with Canadiens' General manager Frank Selke. The two wrote a note to Adams declaring the Red Wings the winner of the game due to the Forum's ordered closure.

The departing crowd joined the demonstrators, and a riot

Riot

ensued outside the Forum. Rioters were heard chanting "À bas Campbell" (Down with Campbell) and "Vive Richard" while they smashed windows, attacked bystanders, set fires to newsstands, and overturned cars. Over 50 stores were looted and vandalized within a 15-block radius of the Forum. Twelve policemen and twenty-five civilians were injured. The riot continued well into the night, eventually ending at 3 a.m., and it left Montreal's Saint Catherine Street

Saint Catherine Street

This article is about the street in Montreal called the rue Sainte-Catherine in French. For other streets of this name, see Rue Sainte-Catherine ....

in shambles. Police estimated between 41 and 100 individuals were arrested. Damage was estimated to be $100,000 ($ in dollars) to the neighborhood and the Forum itself. One jewelry store alone estimated its losses at $7,000 ($ in dollars).

Adams blamed Montreal officials after the game: "If they hadn't pampered Maurice Richard, built him up as a hero until he felt he was bigger than hockey itself, this wouldn't have happened."

The incident was national news in Canada. Reporters lined up to see both Campbell and Richard on March 18. Richard was reluctant to make a statement, fearing it could start another riot, but he eventually gave the following statement, both in French and English, over television to a national audience:

Because I always try so hard to win and had my troubles in Boston, I was suspended. At playoff time it hurts not be in the game with the boys. However, I want to do what is good for the people of Montreal and the team. So that no further harm will be done, I would like to ask everyone to get behind the team and to help the boys win from the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

and Detroit. I will take my punishment and come back next year to help the club and the younger players to win the Cup.

Campbell was unapologetic. He said that he considered it his "duty" as president to attend the game. Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau

Jean Drapeau

Jean Drapeau, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as mayor of Montreal from 1954 to 1957 and 1960 to 1986...

was livid at Campbell for attending, and he laid the blame for the riot on Campbell. A Montreal city councilor wanted Campbell arrested for inciting the riot. Years later Canadiens' centre Jean Beliveau

Jean Béliveau

Jean Arthur "Le Gros Bill" Béliveau, is a former professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens. As a player, he won the Stanley Cup 10 times, and as an executive he was part of another seven championship teams, the most Stanley...

stated that, although he disagreed with Campbell's decision to attend the game, as well as feeling Campbell might have been using his appearance to make a statement, he concluded that Campbell may have felt that if he did not attend he could appear to be hiding. He also noted that Campbell's absence might not have made much of a difference.

Aftermath

The suspension came when Richard was leading the NHL in scoring and the Canadiens were battling Detroit for first place. Richard's suspension also cost him the 1954-55 scoring title

Art Ross Trophy

, the closest he ever came to winning it. When Richard's teammate Bernie Geoffrion

Bernie Geoffrion

surpassed Richard in scoring on the last day of the regular season, the Canadiens' fans booed him.

The points from the forfeiture provided Detroit with the margin it needed to win first place overall and be guaranteed home ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs. That season, the Canadiens lost the Cup final to Detroit in seven games, with the home team winning all seven games of a final for the first time. Richard retired in 1960 after the Canadiens' fifth consecutive Stanley Cup, a record that still stands.

The episode was a prelude to the departure in the off-season of coach Dick Irvin

Dick Irvin

. Selke felt Irvin had contributed to the "periodic eruptions" of Richard by riling him. Selke offered Irvin a job for life with the Canadiens, as long as it was in a non-coaching capacity. Irvin turned him down and moved on to coach the Chicago Black Hawks

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...

. He was replaced by former Canadiens player Toe Blake

Toe Blake

Hector "Toe" Blake, CM was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League .-Nickname:His nickname came out of his childhood for his younger sister was unable to pronounce his name...

. Irvin coached only one more season before succumbing to bone cancer.

The Richard Riot has taken on a significance greater than a mere sports riot in the fifty years since it happened. The sight of French Quebecers rioting in defense of a Québécois cultural icon like Richard led many commentators to believe it was a significant factor in Quebec's Quiet Revolution

Quiet Revolution

of the 1960s. Furthermore, the cause of the riot has been suggested to not be as a result of the severity of the suspension — instead, what mattered was that a Québecois player had been by suspended by an anglophone president of an anglophone league. French Canadians saw themselves as inherently disadvantaged within Canada and North America as a whole. Richard was seen as a national hero by French Canadians, and almost a sort of a "revenge" against the anglophone establishment. The riot was a clear sign of rising ethnic tensions in Quebec. In an article published four days after the riot, journalist André Laurendeau

André Laurendeau

Joseph-Edmond-André Laurendeau was a journalist, politician, co-chair of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, and playwright in Quebec, Canada. He is usually referred to as André Laurendeau. He was active in Québécois life, in various spheres and capacities, for three decades...

was the first to suggest the riot was a sign of growing nationalism in Quebec. Entitled "On a tué mon frère Richard" ("My brother Richard has been killed"), Laurendeau suggested the riot "betrayed what lay behind the apparent indifference and long-held passiveness of French Canadians".

External links

Video footage of the brawl, and the riot, inside and outside the Forum

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Background

Incident

Hearing

Riot

Aftermath

See also

External links