Extraordinary Canadians: Maurice Richard
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by Charles Foran
Penguin Canada, Toronto, 2011
182 pp., illus., $26 hardcover
I can barely skate, and my slapshots are feeble at best. But if I could skate with the best of them, and even if my shot was devastating, I still don’t think I would want to go up against Maurice “The Rocket” Richard. Intimidating doesn’t begin to describe the man. With his wild-eyed stare, his sniper’s aim, and his willingness to throw vicious fists and elbows with abandon, he was a terrible foe to face on the ice — but also a great skater to have on your side.
In one of the final volumes of the Extraordinary Canadians series, Charles Foran explores the life of the Montreal Canadiens star who became a hero to nationalist francophones in Quebec. Foran’s prose is especially eloquent and is itself worth the price of the book.
You don’t have to be a hockey fan to like Maurice Richard. This is a book for fans of great writing.
— Mark Collin Reid (Read bio)
Mark Collin Reid is the Editor-in-Chief of Canada's History.