Born: 4 Aug 1921, Montreal PQ (d. 2000)
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Regular Season & Playoff Coaching Record (key)
| Regular Season | Playoffs |
| year | team | finish | finish | |||||||||
| 1972-73 | Quebec | DNF | ||||||||||
• Resigned on October 13, 1972, succeeded by Maurice Filion.
• Member, Hockey Hall of Fame.
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He Would Cede His Post: Maurice Richard is Very Worried • by Claude Bedard • Le Journal de Quebec • October 16, 1972
After having worked like a madman for almost a year to succeed and establish major-league hockey in Quebec, the managing director, Marius Fortier, believed he could finally catch his breath with the start of the season. Such is not the case. On the contrary, Marius Fortier is struggling with the most serious challenge he has had to overcome since the launch of his adventure in the WHA. His coach, Maurice Richard, has returned to his family in Montreal for the week. Richard asked Martus Fortier for a leave of absence, to regain his strength and think more about his role that the management of the team entrusted to him. Over the past week, the Rocket kept repeating "It's amazing how I feel. I am literally dazed by the tension which does not cease to overwhelm me". Before the first game in Quebec, Maurice Richard was really [in bad shape]. It is to be wondered if, really, he is able to hold on behind the bench of a hockey team. After being away from hockey for twelve years, Maurice Richard must reimmerse himself in the atmosphere he knew so well, but the author of 544 goals had never done anything other than score spectacular goals, before arriving in Quebec. The life of a coach is completely different and the Rocket didn't take long to realize it. "I would have been told and I would not have believed it and, yet, I didn't even hear the applause of the crowd crossing the rink in Cleveland," he said after the first game of the Nordiques season. After the victory Friday night at the Coliseum, which officially meant the return of the Rocket in hockey, Maurice was surrounded by all his friends who were warmly congratulated. They had come from everywhere to see him behind the Nordique bench. Unable to take it anymore, Marius Fortier was then asked to [let him] return to his family for a few days. However, the situation is much more serious than we thought. Richard came back very tired from his trip to Europe. Four hours after his return, he was asked to lead his team, without knowing a single player, except Jean-Claude Tremblay, in an exhibition game against the Philadelphia Blazers. Since that day, he has shuttled between Montreal and Quebec. The tension grew as the season approached and the Rocket had to go home on Friday night. He will rethink his positions and make a decision on his future with the Nordiques. He never thought about leaving the team, but we don't know if he will stay behind the bench or if he will give up his place to Maurice Filion, while waiting to find a replacement for him. "There will always be a special place in our team for Maurice Richard," said Marius Fortier last night. It would be a shame if the Rocket couldn't hold on, but he is absolutely traumatized by the events of the past few days. Either way, a decision will be made on Friday. In the meantime, we will call on Maurice Filion, the Nordiques' chief scout. Anyway, it was Maurice Filion who prepared the first edition of the Nordiques, in the absence of Maurice Richard, and he knows the formation of the team very well. If the Rocket feels physically unable to continue his career in the role of coach, he will then be offered to [join a] system of two coaches, already popular in Europe, or, again, he will be replaced by Maurice Filion. However, there is no question that Maurice Richard abandoned the team. Reached on the phone last night, Marius Fortier was visibly upset and hoped to come to an agreement with Maurice. Therefore, it is not impossible that the Nordiques will be innovators in the WHA, by becoming the first team in professional hockey to use two coaches during its games. ...[T]he players are eager for the situation to be clarified and some have pointed out that some hesitations risked sabotaging the team spirit. |
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