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{{short description|Riot that occurred in Montreal, Quebec, Canada}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{about|the 1955 riot in Montreal|the Malaysian politician|Richard Riot Jaem}}
{{good article}}
[[File:Maurice richard profile.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Maurice Richard]], the player for whom the riot was named]]
The '''Richard Riot''' was a [[riot]] on March 17, 1955 ([[Saint Patrick's Day]]), in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], Canada. The riot was named after [[Maurice Richard]], the star [[ice hockey]] player for the [[Montreal Canadiens]] of the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL). Following a violent altercation on March 13 in which Richard hit a [[Official (ice hockey)#Linesmen|linesman]], [[NHL commissioner|NHL president]] [[Clarence Campbell]] suspended him for the remainder of the [[1954–55 NHL season]], including the playoffs. Montreal fans protested that the suspension was too severe; the team's largely [[Francophone]] fan base claimed the length of the suspension was motivated by Richard's [[French Canadian]] 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]] 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, thirty-seven 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]]. The incident likely cost Richard the 1954–55 [[Art Ross Trophy|scoring title]] (a feat Richard never achieved in his NHL career) and played a role in the off-season departure of longtime Canadiens head coach [[Dick Irvin]]. The dichotomy between Anglo and Francophone fans has been interpreted as a precursor or starting point to the [[Quiet Revolution]].

==Background==
[[File:RichardDictator.png|right|350 px|thumb|Maurice Richard depicted as an unruly student forced to write lines reading "I will not call Mr. Campbell a [[dictator]] again." With Richard an icon for French Canadians, the cartoon illustrates the societal rift between [[English Canadian|English]] and French Canadians in the era.]]
[[Maurice Richard]] was the star player for the [[Montreal Canadiens]],<ref>{{harvnb|Melançon|2009|p=95}}</ref> 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 slur]]s,<ref>{{harvnb|Falla|2008|p=16}}</ref> [[Hooking (ice hockey)|hooking]], [[Slashing (ice hockey)|slashing]], and [[Holding (ice hockey)|holding]] him as much as possible.<ref>{{harvnb|Melançon|2009|p=17}}</ref> Throughout his career, Richard was fined and suspended several times for retaliatory assaults on players and officials,<ref>{{harvnb|Jenish|2008|p=121}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Flatter|first=Ron|title=The Rocket lit up hockey|url=https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00016409.html|publisher=[[ESPN]]|access-date=October 29, 2010}}</ref> including a $250 fine for slapping a linesman in the face less than three months before the March 13, 1955 incident.<ref name="ColeP39-40">{{harvnb|Cole|2004|pages=39–40}}</ref><ref name="OttawaCitizen-mar17"/> Richard was considered the embodiment of French-Canadians and was a hero during a time when many perceived themselves as second-class citizens.<ref name=farber19991129>{{cite magazine | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1017817/index.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706205946/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1017817/index.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date=July 6, 2010| magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]| title=Loud Start To The Quiet Revolution: March 17, 1955: The Riot Over Rocket Richard| access-date=December 28, 2010| date=November 29, 1999|last=Farber|first= Michael}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Didinger|Macnow|2009|p=160}}</ref> He was revered when he fought the "damn English" during games.<ref>{{harvnb|Nadeau|Barlow|2006|p=319}}</ref> In his book, ''The Rocket: A Cultural History of Maurice Richard'', Benoît Melançon compares Richard to [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[Jackie Robinson]] by stating that both players represented the possibility for their minority groups to succeed in North America.<ref>{{harvnb|Melançon|2009|p=80}}</ref>

During the 1950s, Quebec's industries and natural resources were controlled primarily by English Canadians or Americans.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,938460-1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106190306/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,938460-1,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 6, 2012|title=Canada: Rise of the Separatists|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=March 6, 1964}}</ref> [[French-speaking Quebecer]]s were the lowest-paid ethnic group in Quebec, which resulted in a sense that control rested with the [[English-speaking Quebecer|Anglophone]] minority.<ref>{{harvnb|Gittings|2002|p=105}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Roles|2002|p=58}}</ref> Because of this and other factors, there had been growing discontent in the years before the riot. In early 1954, Richard's teammate, [[Bernie Geoffrion]], was suspended in a move seen as anti-Francophone.<ref>{{harvnb|Melançon|2009|p=120}}</ref> Following the suspension, Richard, who had a weekly column in the ''Samedi-Dimanche'' newspaper, called President Campbell a "dictator" in print. The League in turn forced Richard to retract his statement and discontinue his column. In his 1976 biography of Richard, Jean-Marie Pellerin wrote that his humiliation was shared by all Francophone Quebecers, who were sent running once more by the "English boot".<ref name=canencyc>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/rocket-richard|title=Richard, Maurice|encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia|year=2000|author=James Deacon}}</ref> This was reflected in a Montreal newspaper's editorial cartoon (pictured), which portrayed Richard as an unruly schoolboy 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.<ref name=p11>{{harvnb|Melançon|2009|p=121}}</ref>

==Incident==
On March 13, 1955, an on-ice episode sparked one of the worst incidents of hockey-related violence in history.<ref>{{cite news|title=10 Hockey Violence Lowlights|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/columns/top10/hockey_lowlights.html#top|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=November 14, 2010|date=March 9, 2004}}</ref> On that date in [[Boston]], Richard was part of a violent confrontation in a game between the Canadiens and their [[Bruins–Canadiens rivalry|rival]] [[Boston Bruins]]. The Bruins' [[Hal Laycoe]], who had previously played defence for the Canadiens, [[High-sticking|high-sticked]] Richard in the head during a Montreal [[Power play (sport)|power play]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Rocket Goes Wild at Boston, Clouts Laycoe, Linesman|date=March 14, 1955|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|page=22}}</ref> Richard required five stitches to close a cut that resulted from the high-stick.<ref name="Rampage">{{cite news|title=Richard Stick Duels Laycoe, Fights With Official|first=Tom|last=Fitzgerald|newspaper=Boston Globe|date=March 14, 1955|page=6}}</ref> Referee [[Frank Udvari]] signaled a delayed [[penalty (ice hockey)|penalty]], but allowed play to continue because the Canadiens had possession of the puck.<ref name="CoI107">{{harvnb|Katz|1998|p=107}}</ref> When the play ended, Richard skated up to Laycoe, who had dropped his stick and gloves in anticipation of a [[Violence in ice hockey|fight]], 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]] corralled him.<ref name="CoI107"/> Richard broke loose again and punched Thompson twice in the face, knocking him unconscious.<ref name="Rampage"/><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 14, 1955|page=30|title=Richard is Banished as Canadiens Bow|author=United Press}}</ref> Richard then left the ice with the Canadiens' trainer. According to ''[[Montreal Herald]]'' writer Vince Lunny, Richard's face resembled a "smashed tomato."<ref>{{harvnb|Jenish|2008|page=144}}</ref> Richard was given a match penalty and an automatic $100 fine,{{efn|Equivalent to $1135 in 2024}}<ref name="CoI107"/> and Laycoe a five-minute [[major penalty]] plus a ten-minute misconduct for the high stick.<ref name="Rampage"/><ref name="LaycoeObit">{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503EFDE103EF931A35756C0A96E958260&pagewanted=print|title=Hal Laycoe, 75, NHL Player Whose High Stick Led to Riot|date=May 2, 1998|access-date=March 29, 2011|first=Richard|last=Goldstein|newspaper=New York Times|page=B8}}</ref>

[[Boston Police Department|Boston police]] 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.<ref>{{harvnb|Jenish|2008|pp=144–145}}</ref> He was instead sent to the hospital by team doctors after complaining of headaches and stomach pains.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hockey Hearing to Start Today|newspaper=New York Times|date=March 16, 1955|page=48|author=United Press}}</ref>

The Laycoe incident was Richard's second altercation with an official that season,<ref name="ColeP39-40"/><ref name="Rampage"/> after having slapped a linesman in the face in [[Toronto]] the previous December, for which he was fined $250.<ref name="Rampage"/> Upon hearing the referee's report, league president [[Clarence Campbell]] ordered all parties to appear at a March 16 hearing at his office in Montreal.<ref name="CoI110">{{harvnb|Katz|1998|p=110}}</ref>

==Hearing==
[[File:Clarence Campbell Stanley Cup 1957.jpg|thumb|left|250 px|NHL President Clarence Campbell, shown in 1957 with the [[Stanley Cup]]]]
The game's on-ice officials, Richard, Laycoe, Montreal assistant [[general manager]] [[Ken Reardon]], Boston general manager [[Lynn Patrick]], Montreal coach [[Dick Irvin]], and NHL referee-in-chief [[Carl Voss]] attended the March 16 hearing. In his defence, Richard contended that he was dazed and thought Thompson was one of Boston's players. He did not deny punching or attacking Laycoe.<ref name="OttawaCitizen-mar17"/>

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

<blockquote>…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.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=March 17, 1955|page=1|title=Campbell Statement on Richard Censure}}</ref></blockquote>

The suspension was the longest that Campbell issued during his thirty-one year tenure as league president. As there was no [[National Hockey League Players' Association|union]] at the time, Richard had no recourse to appeal. In Quebec, the punishment was widely considered to be unjust and unduly severe. Within minutes of the judgment's dispensation, the NHL head office (then in Montreal) was deluged with hundreds of calls from enraged fans, many of whom made death threats against Campbell.<ref name="OttawaCitizen-mar17">{{cite news|newspaper=Ottawa Citizen|last=Wheatley|first=W. B.|date=March 17, 1955|page=23|title=Richard Barred for Season, Playoffs: May Sink Canadiens|agency=Canadian Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=March 17, 1955|page=19|title=Many Threats Follow Word On Favorite}}</ref>

However, the general feeling around the league was that the punishment could have been more severe. [[Detroit Red Wings]] general manager [[Jack Adams]] said that Campbell "could do no less" and "I thought he would be suspended until January 1 of next season." Red Wings forward [[Ted Lindsay]], whom the league had disciplined earlier the same season for an incident in Toronto in which he attacked a [[Toronto Maple Leafs|Maple Leafs]] fan who had been threatening teammate [[Gordie Howe]], expressed the stronger opinion that Richard was lucky not to get a life suspension: "In [[baseball]], [[gridiron football|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]] agreed with Adams, saying "That's the least they could do"; Bruins player [[Fleming Mackell]] said, "If they had thrown the book at Richard in {{scfy|1947}} when he cut [[Bill Ezinicki]] and [[Vic Lynn]], it might have stopped him and made him an even greater hockey player because of it."<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=March 17, 1955|title=Richard is Lucky Didn't Get Life, says Ted Lindsay|page=31}}</ref> Interest was high in the hockey world; the ''Detroit Free Press'' reported its switchboard was swamped with calls.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=March 17, 1955|title=School Sports Head Praises Campbell|page=19|first=Pat|last=Curran}}</ref>

==Riot==
[[File:Forum Pepsi.JPG|thumb|The [[Montreal Forum]], site of the riot, as it looked in 2009|250 px]]
Public outrage from Montreal poured in about what residents felt was excessive punishment.<ref name=p74>{{harvnb|Denault|2009|p=74}}</ref> Many [[French-speaking Quebecer|Québécois]] regarded the suspension as the English majority further attempting to subjugate the French minority and an attempt to humiliate French Canadians by "excessively punishing their favorite player".<ref name=p74/><ref name=jean>{{harvnb|Béliveau|Goyens|Turowetz|1994|p=94}}</ref> 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,<ref name=jean/> despite advice that he not do so.<ref name=p74/> Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the [[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, Montreal|Cabot Square]] across from the Forum.<ref name=p128>{{harvnb|Melançon|2009|p=128}}</ref> The crowd of demonstrators grew to 6,000.<ref name=emotion/> Some carried signs that denounced Campbell, and others had signs reading, among other things, "Vive Richard" (''Long live Richard''), "No Richard, no Cup", and "Our national sport destroyed".<ref name=p128/><ref name=emotion>{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=slA_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=Y1IMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1067,435991&dq=richard+riot&hl=en|newspaper=[[Windsor Star]]| title=Rocket Richard Riot Still Stirs Controversy, Emotion | access-date=November 23, 2010| date=March 18, 1980|page=37|author=Canadian Press}}</ref> The crowd, originally described as "jovial", turned "surly" after police intervened at the ticket gate.<ref name=battle>{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tGsjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rCMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3133,1437283&dq=fans+protest+richard+riot&hl=en| newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]| title=Montreal Hockey Fans Riot, Battle Police, Smash Windows, Loot Stores, Attack Official| access-date=November 23, 2010| date=March 18, 1955| page=21| agency=Associated Press| archive-date=January 16, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116042250/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tGsjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rCMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3133,1437283&dq=fans+protest+richard+riot&hl=en| url-status=dead}}</ref> After the mood turned foul, some members of the crowd began smashing windows and throwing ice chunks at passing streetcars.<ref name=battle/>

The game against Detroit was a battle for first place, but the suspension unsettled the Canadiens.<ref name=jean/> Goaltender [[Jacques Plante]] later recalled that the game seemed secondary, and players and officials were "casting worried glances at the sullen crowd".<ref name=p74/> Likewise, Dick Irvin said later, "The people didn't care if we got licked 100–1 that night."<ref>{{harvnb|Coleman|1970|p=253}}</ref>

Midway through the first period, with Montreal already down 2–0,<ref name=windsor/> Campbell arrived with three secretaries from his office (one of whom he would later marry).<ref name=mad>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Jr4vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5NwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7475,560611&dq=fans+protest+richard+riot&hl=en|newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen]]|title=Richard Fans Go Mad|access-date=November 22, 2010|date=March 17, 1955|page=60}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZtEyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Qu8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=4711,1877515&dq=montreal+hockey+riot&hl=en|newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen]]|title=Montreal's Riot over Richard Campbell's Toughest Ordeal|access-date=November 23, 2010|date=July 7, 1984}}</ref> The 15,000 spectators immediately started booing Campbell. Some fans began pelting him and his group with eggs, vegetables, and various debris for six straight minutes. At the end of the first period, Detroit had taken a 4–1 lead, and the barrage began again. Despite police and ushers' attempts to keep fans away from Campbell, one 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R4ItAAAAIBAJ&sjid=X5kFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7010%2C2686235|title=Mob rule wrecks Forum, Game|last=MacDonald|first=D. A. L.|date=March 18, 1955|work=Montreal Gazette|access-date=March 17, 2018|page=1|via=Google News Archive}}</ref> 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.<ref name=windsor>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nzI_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=QFEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3475,873464&dq=fans+protest+richard+riot&hl=en|newspaper=[[Windsor Star|The Windsor Daily Star]]|title=Anti-Campbell Mobs Terrorize City|access-date=November 22, 2010|date=March 18, 1955|page=10|last=Morris|first=Mel|agency=Canadian Press}}</ref> Shortly after the fan attack, a [[tear gas]] bomb was set off inside the Forum, not far from Campbell's seat.<ref name=mad/><ref name=p147>{{harvnb|Jenish|2008|p=147}}</ref> Montreal [[Fire Chief]] Armand Pare mandated that the game be suspended for "the protection of the fans", and the Forum was evacuated.<ref name="windsor"/><ref name=":0" /><ref name="gompg1">{{cite news |work=The Globe and Mail |date=March 18, 1955|title=Riot ends game |pages=1, 23}}</ref> 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.<ref name=mad/>

The departing crowd joined the demonstrators, and a [[riot]] ensued outside the Forum.<ref name=p128/> Rioters were heard chanting "À bas Campbell" (''Down with Campbell'') and "Vive Richard" while they smashed windows, attacked bystanders, ignited newsstands, and overturned cars.<ref name=battle/><ref name=windsor/><ref name=fear/> More than fifty stores within a fifteen-block radius of the Forum were looted and vandalized.<ref name=battle/><ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UXBQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ww8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7318,939465&dq=fans+protest+richard+riot&hl=en| newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Sentinel]]| title=Montreal Counts Riot Loss| access-date=November 22, 2010| date=March 18, 1955| archive-date=January 16, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116042250/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UXBQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ww8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7318,939465&dq=fans+protest+richard+riot&hl=en| url-status=dead}}</ref> Twelve police officers and twenty-five civilians were injured.<ref>{{harvnb|Wallechinsky|Wallace|Farrow|Basen|2005|p=409}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R4ItAAAAIBAJ&sjid=X5kFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6200%2C2682497|title=Innocent Injured in Riot|last=Croll|first=Bruce|date=March 18, 1955|work=Montreal Gazette|access-date=March 17, 2018|page=1|via=Google News Archive}}</ref> The riot continued well into the night, eventually ending at three A.M., and it left Montreal's [[Saint Catherine Street]] in shambles.<ref name=p147/><ref>{{cite web | url=http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-41-2222-13340/sports/maurice_richard/ | publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] Archives | title=The Legendary #9: Maurice 'Rocket' Richard: The 'Richard Riot' | access-date=November 13, 2006| date=March 17, 2005 }}</ref> Police estimated between forty-one and 100 individuals were arrested.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=March 18, 1955 |title=Montreal Cops Amazed No One Killed in Mad Violence After Game |page=59 |last=Hunt|first=Jim}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Jr4vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5NwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7475,560611&dq=fans+protest+richard+riot&hl=en| newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen]]| title=All Quiet Riot's Smoke Clears | access-date=November 22, 2010| date=March 17, 1955|page=61}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19550318&printsec=frontpage&hl=en| last=McDonald | first=D.A.L. | newspaper=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|Montreal Gazette]]| title=Mob Rule Wrecks Forum, Game | access-date=March 17, 2015| date=March 18, 1955|page=1}}</ref> Damage was estimated to be $100,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|CA|100000|1955}}}} in {{Inflation-year|CA}} dollars{{inflation-fn|CA}}) to the neighborhood and the Forum itself.<ref name="gompg1"/> One jewelry store alone estimated its losses at $7,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|CA|7000|1955}}}} in {{Inflation-year|CA}} dollars{{inflation-fn|CA}}).<ref name=fear>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nzI_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=QFEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3475,873464&dq=fans+protest+richard+riot&hl=en| newspaper=[[Windsor Star|The Windsor Daily Star]]| title=Fear Stalks Downtown| access-date=November 23, 2010| date=March 18, 1955|page=10}}</ref>

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."<ref>{{cite news |work=[[Toronto Star]] |date=March 18, 1955|page=22 |title=They Make Him Think He's Bigger Than Game, Red Wing Boss Says |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

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:<ref>{{cite news |work=Regina Leader-Post |date=March 19, 1955|title=Suspended Star Appeals To Fans |page=22}}</ref>

<blockquote>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]] and Detroit. I will take my punishment and come back next year to help the club and the younger players to win the Cup.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Globe and Mail |date=March 19, 1955|title=Get Behind Canadiens, Rocket asks |page=1}}</ref></blockquote>

Campbell was unapologetic. He said that he considered it his duty as president to attend the game. Montreal mayor [[Jean Drapeau]] 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.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|title=Full Montreal Detective Force Called for NHL Game Tonight|date=March 19, 1955|page=1|last=Wheatley|first=W. B.|agency=Canadian Press}}</ref> Years later, Canadiens player [[Jean Béliveau]] 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.<ref>{{harvnb|Béliveau|Goyens|Turowetz|1994|pp=94–95}}</ref>

==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 [[Art Ross Trophy|scoring title]], the closest he ever came to winning it. When Richard's teammate [[Bernie Geoffrion]] surpassed Richard in scoring by one point on the last day of the regular season, the Canadiens' fans booed him.<ref name=Denault>{{harvnb|Denault|2009|p=76}}</ref>

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 [[1955 Stanley Cup Finals]] to Detroit in seven games, with the home team winning all seven games of a final for the first time.<ref name=Denault/><ref>{{cite news|title=E-Rupp-Tion&mdash;New Jersey Celebrates Third Cup with Big Lift from Little-Used Player|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=June 10, 2003|first=Alan|last=Robinson|agency=Associated Press|page=C1}}</ref> Montreal won the next five consecutive Stanley Cups, a record that still stands. Richard retired in 1960 after the Canadiens' fifth consecutive Stanley Cup.<ref>{{harvnb|Melançon|2009|p=12}}</ref>

The episode was a prelude to the off-season departure of coach [[Dick Irvin]]. Selke felt Irvin had riled Richard, thereby contributing to his "periodic eruptions". Selke offered Irvin a job for life with the Canadiens, as long as it was in a non-coaching capacity. Irvin refused Selke's offer and moved on to coach the [[Chicago Blackhawks|Chicago Black Hawks]], where he had begun his coaching career in {{NHL Year|1930}}. He was replaced by former Canadiens player [[Toe Blake]].<ref>{{harvnb|Jenish|2008|p=150}}</ref> Irvin coached only one more season before succumbing to bone cancer.<ref>{{harvnb|Denault|2009|p=77}}</ref>

==Historical interpretation==
The Richard Riot has taken on a significance greater than a mere sports riot in the decades since it happened. The sight of French Quebecers rioting over the perceived slight to a Quebec cultural icon like Richard led many commentators to believe it was a significant factor in Quebec's [[Quiet Revolution]] of the 1960s.{{r|farber19991129}}<ref name="musee-civilisation">{{cite web|url=http://www.civilization.ca/media/docs/fsrck01e.html |title=Media — Rocket Richard: The Legend, The Legacy |publisher=Civilization.ca |access-date=December 15, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514002345/http://www.civilization.ca/media/docs/fsrck01e.html |archive-date=May 14, 2008 }}</ref><ref name=falla15>{{harvnb|Falla|2008|p=15}}</ref> Furthermore, the cause of the riot has been suggested not to be as a result of the severity of the suspension; what mattered was that the anglophone president of an anglophone league had suspended a Quebec player. French Canadians saw themselves as inherently disadvantaged within Canada and North America as a whole.<ref name=rawl336>{{harvnb|Rawlinson|Granatstein|1997|p=336}}</ref> Richard was seen as a hero by French Canadians, and almost a sort of a "revenge" against the anglophone establishment.<ref name=laurendeau/> The riot was a clear sign of rising ethnic tensions in Quebec.<ref name=amfr>{{cite web|year=2007 |title = Maurice Richard, 1ère partie: le hockeyeur |publisher=Encyclopédie du patrimoine culturel de l'Amérique française |url=http://www.ameriquefrancaise.org/fr/article-195/Maurice_Richard,_1%C3%A8re_partie:_le_hockeyeur.html |first=Julie|last=Perrone|language=fr}}</ref> In an article published four days after the riot, journalist [[André Laurendeau]] 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".<ref name=laurendeau>{{cite news|newspaper=Le Devoir|title=On a tué mon frère Richard|author-link=André Laurendeau|first=André|last=Laurendeau|page=4|date=March 21, 1955|language=fr}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Bruins–Canadiens rivalry]]
* ''[[The Rocket (2005 film)|The Rocket]] (Maurice Richard)'' (film)
* [[1954–55 Montreal Canadiens season]]

==References==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist|2}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last1=Béliveau|first1=Jean|last2=Goyens|first2=Chris|last3=Turowetz|first3=Allen|year=1994|title=Jean Beliveau: My Life in Hockey|publisher=McClelland & Stewart|isbn=978-1-55365-149-9|location=Toronto, Ontario|url=https://archive.org/details/mylifeinhockey00beli}}
* {{cite book|last=Cole|first=Stephen|title=The Best of Hockey Night in Canada|year=2004|publisher=McArthur & Company|location=Toronto|isbn=1-55278-408-8|pages=39–40}}
* {{cite book|last=Coleman|first=Charles|year=1970|title=Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol III|publisher=Progressive Publications|location= Sherbrooke, PQ|isbn=0-8403-2941-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Denault|first=Todd|year=2009 |title=Jacques Plante: The Man Who Changed the Face of Hockey|publisher=McClelland & Stewart|location= Toronto, Ontario |isbn=978-0-7710-2633-1}}
* {{cite book|last1=Didinger|first1=Ray|last2=Macnow|first2=Glen|year=2009 |title=The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies: Featuring the 100 Greatest Sports Films|isbn=978-0-7624-3548-7|publisher=Running Press Book Publishers|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}}
* {{cite book|last=Falla|first=Jack|year=2008|title=Open Ice: Reflections and Confessions of a Hockey Lifer|publisher=John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd|isbn=978-0-470-15305-5|location=Mississauga, Ontario|url=https://archive.org/details/openicereflectio00jack}}
* {{cite book|last=Gittings|first=Christopher E.|year=2002|title=Canadian national cinema: ideology, difference and representation|isbn=0-415-14281-4|publisher=The Taylor and Francis Group|location=New York, New York}}
* {{cite book|last=Jenish|first=D'Arcy |year=2008 |title=The Montreal Canadiens: 100 years of glory |publisher=Doubleday Canada|location= Toronto, Ontario |isbn=978-0-385-66324-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Katz |first=Sidney |year=1998 |title=Canada on Ice: Fifty years of great hockey |publisher=MacLean Hunter Publishing Ltd |location=Toronto, Ontario |isbn=0-670-88037-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Melançon|first=Benoît|year=2009 |title=The Rocket: A Cultural History of Maurice Richard|isbn=978-1-55365-336-3|publisher=Greystone Books|location=Vancouver, British Columbia }}
* {{cite book|last1=Nadeau|first1=Jean-Benoît|last2=Barlow|first2=Julie|year=2006|title=The Story of French|isbn=978-0-312-34184-8|publisher=St. Martin's Press|location=New York, New York}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rawlinson|first1=H. Graham|last2=Granatstein|first2=J.L.|year=1997|title=The Canadian 100|publisher=McArthur & Company|isbn=1-55278-005-8|location=Toronto, Ontario|url=https://archive.org/details/canadian100100mo0000rawl}}
* {{cite book|last=Roles|first=Julia|year=2002|title=Insight Guides Montreal & Quebec City|isbn=981-4120-43-X|publisher=APA Publications|location=Maspeth, New York}}
* {{cite book|last1=Wallechinsky|first1=David|last2=Wallace|first2=Amy|last3=Farrow|first3=Jane|last4=Basen|first4=Ira|year=2005|title=The Book of Lists, The Canadian Edition: The Original Compendium of Curious Information|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf of Canada|isbn=0-676-97720-0|location=Toronto, Ontario|url=https://archive.org/details/bookoflistsorigi0000unse}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/greatest-moment/The-Richard-Riot Video footage of the brawl, and the riot, inside and outside the Forum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301093949/http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/greatest-moment/The-Richard-Riot |date=March 1, 2022 }}

{{Sporting fiascos}}
{{Montreal Canadiens}}
{{1954–55 NHL season by team}}

[[Category:1954–55 NHL season]]
[[Category:1954–55 in Canadian ice hockey]]
[[Category:1955 riots]]
[[Category:History of the Montreal Canadiens]]
[[Category:Riots and civil disorder in Canada]]
[[Category:Sports riots]]
[[Category:Violence in ice hockey]]
[[Category:Montreal Canadiens games|1954]]
[[Category:Detroit Red Wings games|1954]]
[[Category:Maurice Richard]]
[[Category:1950s in Montreal]]
[[Category:1955 in Quebec]]
[[Category:March 1955 sports events in Canada]]
[[Category:Arson in Canada]]
[[Category:Arson in the 1950s]]
[[Category:1955 fires]]
[[Category:1950s fires in North America]]
[[Category:20th-century fires in Canada]]
[[Category:Crime in Montreal]]
[[Category:Ethnic riots]]
[[Category:Looting in North America]]
[[Category:Attacks on commercial buildings in Canada]]
[[Category:Attacks on shops in North America]]
[[Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in the 1950s]]