Maurice Richard

Born in 1921 into a working-class family, Maurice Richard came of age as a French Canadian and athlete during an era when the majority population of Quebec slumbered. A proud, reticent man, Richard aspired only to score goals and win championships for the Montreal Canadiens. But he represented far more than a high-scoring forward who filled seats in NHL arenas. Beginning with his 50-goal, 50-game season in 1944-45 and through his battles with the league over bigotry toward French-Canadian players, Richard's on-ice ferocity and off-ice dignity echoed the change in Quebec. The March 1955 “Richard Riot,” in which fans went on a rampage to protest his suspension, contained the seeds of transformation. By the time Richard retired in 1960, Quebec had begun to reinvent itself as a modern, secular society. Author Charles Foran argues that the province's passionate identification with Richard's success and struggles emboldened its people and changed Canada irrevocably.

Charles Foran is a writer of novels, non-fiction, and journalism. He has published eight books, including the multi-award-winningThe Last House of Ulster. Though raised in Toronto, he was reared, thanks to a French-Canadian mother, on the Montreal Canadiens. Maurice Richard, who retired from hockey the same year Foran was born, was mistaken by the boy for a local saint, so reverential were the evocations of his name among extended family members. Foran lives with his family in Peterborough, Ontario.