At just 5ft, 7 inches, Henri Richard was not one of the tallest ice hockey players in NHL but he certainly had the talent to cause the opposition problems.
Nicknamed the ‘The Pocket-Rocket’, the Canadian, who turns 80 today, had an illustrious career and is considered one of Montreal Canadiens’ legends.
His 11 Stanley Cup triumphs is more than any other player in NHL history, scoring more than 1,000 points in his 20-year stint.
After being a pivotal figure, Richard was appointed Canadiens’ skipper in 1971 until he called it quits in 1975.
Having played nine All-Star games and given his significant contribution, his squad number 16, was retired by Canadiens before being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.
In 1998, he was ranked 29th of the Hockey News List’s top 100 greatest players.
1964: Dave Brailsford, a British cycling coach and general manager of Team Sky (52).
1976: Terrence Long, former outfielder, who used to play for Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees (40).
1988: Benedikt Höwedes, Schalke 04 captain and defender, who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany (28).
1992: Sean Abbott, Australian all-rounder, who will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore in this year’s IPL (24).
