I never knew Maurice Richard had issues with the league...

[boredmale]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-pf8WLTVYg[/url]

Wow to that assist he wasn't even on the ice(plus the other 2 very questionsable calls), seems like the refs and scorekeepers were pushing for Gretzky to win the Art Ross

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Two things:

1. The phantom assist argument also states that Richard was denied second assists in other buildings. Very hard to even try and prove that one. But that would account for larger swings.

2. The one season that really needs analyzing is 46-47. Max Bentley won the scoring title with 29-43-72. Richard was second player with 45-26-71. Then all it takes is one or two fudgings and the scoring champ changes. To add to it, Richards linemates that year were: Toe Blake (21-29-50) Bill Raey (22-20-42) and Elmer Lach (14-16-30) Lach was injured for half the year so Raey got promoted. So clearly his linemates were getting goals and not just getting assists off Richard, and yet Richard has an all-time Cy Young type season. (One of the most glaring of his career. 49-50 and 50-51 are the other ones. Those were years between the Punch Line and Bert Olmstead taking over (He joined mid-way through 50-51.) so the scoring of his linemates suffered, thus explaining the drop in assists.) Meanwhile, Bentley had 43 assists when his regular linemates (who missed a total of 9 games) had 45 goals and the Chicago defence combined for 16 goals. So Bentley was clearly in on a very high percentage of the goals when he was on the ice. Now, this is very possibly just the way it went, he tended to control the puck a lot, possibly more than anyone else at the time. He did hit 40 assists on two other occasions, but both times he was on the ice with at least one 30 goal scorer. So, unless he had a goal scoring champ contender on his line, he tended to be equal parts shooter and playmaker, except in 46-47.

 

[Brandinho]

I'm not sure that I see the problem with racism between players in game. Sure, it's in poor taste, but I'd wager it's rarely ever serious. In such a psychologically and physically taxing game like hockey, it'd behoove a player to do whatever he could to get inside the head of the opposing's team's star. If you've studied sports psychology, you'd realize how massive an impact one's psycho-emotional state can have one one's physical performance.

To wit, an example from my sporting past: I'm a light-skinned fellow who played American football in a predominantly black league. I also happening to play running back which is typically a "black position". The amount of abuse I heard was unreal. I'd get banned for posting 3/4 of it here. But insults about my skin color, my mother's sex life, my grandparents' sex life, the size of my anatomy, etc... And it was non-stop. And yeah, being a high school aged kid, it hurt. Seeing my single mom in the stands and having to hear what a linebacker was going to do to her after the game was hurtful and infuriating. But I realized, even at that age, I had to block it out because the best way to get back at him was to outperform him. And ironically enough, I came to get along great with a lot of these guys. Football players run in the same circles so I'd see them at parties or late night at Denny's or school or whatever. And that animosity wasn't there, because there was an understanding that what happened on the field was just talk, just mind games.

 

[Canadiens1958]

The Assist Issue

Two things:

1. The phantom assist argument also states that Richard was denied second assists in other buildings. Very hard to even try and prove that one. But that would account for larger swings.

2. The one season that really needs analyzing is 46-47. Max Bentley won the scoring title with 29-43-72. Richard was second player with 45-26-71. Then all it takes is one or two fudgings and the scoring champ changes. To add to it, Richards linemates that year were: Toe Blake (21-29-50) Bill Raey (22-20-42) and Elmer Lach (14-16-30) Lach was injured for half the year so Raey got promoted. So clearly his linemates were getting goals and not just getting assists off Richard, and yet Richard has an all-time Cy Young type season. (One of the most glaring of his career. 49-50 and 50-51 are the other ones. Those were years between the Punch Line and Bert Olmstead taking over (He joined mid-way through 50-51.) so the scoring of his linemates suffered, thus explaining the drop in assists.) Meanwhile, Bentley had 43 assists when his regular linemates (who missed a total of 9 games) had 45 goals and the Chicago defence combined for 16 goals. So Bentley was clearly in on a very high percentage of the goals when he was on the ice. Now, this is very possibly just the way it went, he tended to control the puck a lot, possibly more than anyone else at the time. He did hit 40 assists on two other occasions, but both times he was on the ice with at least one 30 goal scorer. So, unless he had a goal scoring champ contender on his line, he tended to be equal parts shooter and playmaker, except in 46-47.

Still it was Richard`s highest assist total before the 1952-53 season.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/richama01.html

so it is doubtful that systematically, from entering, the league he was denied assists. Also the Hawks were second in scoring in the league though a last place team whereas the 1st place Canadiens were fifth.

 

[Scott1980]

Wow to that assist he wasn't even on the ice(plus the other 2 very questionsable calls), seems like the refs and scorekeepers were pushing for Gretzky to win the Art Ross

True enough, but articles from back then seem to establish weeks earlier that Dionne had the scoring title locked up.

I think Perry Berezan was on the bench when Smith shot it in his own net! A phantom GA for Wayne, who was on the ice when it happened!

How about Richard's teammates? Same with them? Was Beliveau mistreated?

 

[Big Phil]

True enough, but articles from back then seem to establish weeks earlier that Dionne had the scoring title locked up.

I think Perry Berezan was on the bench when Smith shot it in his own net! A phantom GA for Wayne, who was on the ice when it happened!

How about Richard's teammates? Same with them? Was Beliveau mistreated?

Not really. At least not that I have ever seen evidence from. Then again Beliveau was a different type of player too that didn't garner as much hatred from the opponents.

I've always maintained that the phantom assist argument is just that, an argument. No proof whatsoever. Richard wasn't exactly a great playmaker to begin with so his assist totals weren't hitting the roof. If there was a bias against him you wouldn't know it that year since he won the Hart in 1947. But was there SOME bias against him? I am sure there was because many French Canadians faced that but even with Hart voting, you'd have to think that other than maybe a year like 1955 or 1945, Richard wouldn't have been favoured to win it anyway

 

[Hockeynomad]

What the...

I'm sure you watch a lot of Quebec media in Mississauga.

I do in fact. I go back to montreal couple times per year and hear the crap on french radio.

 

[Hfboards2010]

I have asked others who assert there were "phanton assists" to come up with some evidence in the past and nobody has ever been able to produce any.

Fabrications from Richard fans, most likely.

The movie/biography is about Richard. If Richard/teammates had this discussion, it's relevant to put it in the movie. If you think phantom assist have never existed, than I certainly won't be the one to convince you otherwise. I could go a step further and say if you think discrimination against French-Canadians or minorities has never existed, than I certainly won't be the one to convince you otherwise. Richard did what he to do. He did what nobody could take away, scoring goals. It damn hard to take goals away.

I'd wager that it's likely just a case of the scorekeeper making a honest mistake and giving Howe an assist he shouldn't have got, but someone who noticed it decided it was a conspiracy.

It's quite possible. In which case, the problem is perception. It wouldn't change the fact that Richard/teammates would have had this discussion and I have no problem seeing it in a movie/biography.

 

[Derick*]

Olli Jokinen got phantom assists in Florida for a couple years then stopped because the league wanted to mess with us