Maurice Richard

In 1942 Maurice Richard entered the National Hockey League. By the year 1946 he was a hero to most boys found in the province of Quebec. “The Hockey Sweater” demonstrates this in the town of St. Justine. Maurice Richard, as known as “The Rocket”, lived in the hearts of all aspiring French hockey players, especially those in Quebec, who tried to not only look like Maurice, but act like him as well. Maurice was a hero to these boys as seen in three ways: his background and rise to the NHL, his talent and position on the Montreal Canadians, and the way the media presented him. Maurice Richard started working as a machinist at 16 years old. This meant he worked long days in a factory, most likely for a rich, English speaking man. French Canadians were the clear minority, and definitely did not have a lot of money. Therefore, they ended up working for the English. The boys in the story could relate to this. They were not working yet, but they would see their dads working in factories or shops. Maurice was also one of a very few French speaking people in the NHL. It was easy for the boys to associate with a man who spoke the same language as themselves. Fans of the NHL, both in 1946 and in 2013, often have a favourite team. One of the biggest deciding factors when people pick their favourite team is location. It just makes sense to pick the team that is nearest your hometown. This is for two reasons. Number one, all the news, media coverage, game coverage and general excitement about that team is going to be biggest in the near vicinity of the team. Number two, all the other people in the town, whether its family or friends are more than likely also going to be cheering for the hometown team. Therefore, the boys in this story are compelled to go for the Montreal Canadians. The star of that team is Maurice “the Rocket” Richard, a French Canadian just like themselves. Who better to relate with and to idolize then the best player on the team who happens to be of