Some hockey players have been better all-around players. Some have hit harder. Some have been better shooters. But in terms of sheer intensity from the blue line to the goal, no one has ever compared to Maurice "Rocket" Richard.

On the ice, he was a wild-eyed tempest, playing with a fervor that struck fear into the hearts of goalies. Veteran players used to tell rookies to watch for the fire coming out of his eyes. When it came to all-consuming will to win, no one has ever been his equal.

That kind of passion and ferocity also had its dark side. To say that the Rocket's temper was barely contained is seriously giving him the benefit of the doubt. But considering the way he was treated by other teams and league officials, his actions seem almost restrained. "Players on other teams used to treat him like crap," said Richard's teammate Bert Olmstead. "He'd have two, three guys hanging over him, calling him every name in the book. And the fans... Oh God, they hated him in New York."

Olmstead once recalled sitting next to Richard on the bench at Madison Square Garden when a ball peen hammer came flying out of the stands, crashing to the floor right between them: "I looked at Rock and said 'Do you know what that is?' And he said no. I told him 'It's a gawd-damned hammer, it would've killed either one of us and I've got a pretty good idea it wasn't aimed at me!'"

Rocket Richard was indeed a hockey superstar and he was also the NHL's first marquee player, but to the disenfranchised French-Canadians of Montreal, he was much more. In the mid-1950s, Quebec had begun to develop a vibrant and unique culture. The trademark independent Quebec pride was stronger than ever and new political voices began to speak out against the influence and control English Canada exerted on its citizens.

The drive and determination of the proud, French-speaking Richard was an example of the potential and spirit of working-class French-Canadians. Every time he would stand up to opposing players or league officials, the people of Quebec felt as though he was standing up for French-Canadians. Montreal's beloved hockey team was truly a focal point of Quebec society in those days. It was treated with a sort of mythic seriousness that has no analog today.

But for all the records he set and the great seasons he had with the Canadiens, Richard's name will also always be tied to one of the most infamous events in sporting history -- The Richard Riot. Furious fans, angry over the suspension of Richard from the NHL, looted Quebec, and a seven-hour riot ensued. Over 60 people were arrested, and the incident came to be known as the "Richard Riot."

Protesters who turned ugly, running amok in Quebec, igniting the "Richard Riot"

Some historians believe that the Richard Riot was the result of bad blood between French-Canadians and English-Canadians that was almost 200 years old. The feud was started when French troops suffered a defeat in the colony of New France (Quebec) in 1763. After the defeat, France surrendered its claim on New France to England. Suddenly, over 50,000 French-Canadians found themselves as a minority under British rule.

Well into the 20th century, Quebec's big business, wealth and power was still in the hands of English-Canadians, leaving many Quebecois feeling disenfranchised. Rocket Richard and the Montreal Canadiens were a great source of pride to Quebecois, and when they saw what they considered to be unfair treatment of Richard and the team by NHL officials, it stirred up those deep-seeded feelings of hostility towards English-Canadians. NHL president Clarence Campbell was seen by many Quebecois as someone who looked down on French-Canadians and enjoyed flaunting his power, especially when it came to putting French-Canadian players in their place.

A few years after the Richard Riot, a program of social and cultural reform was successfully launched in the province. Liberal leaders sought to encourage its citizens to become maitres chez nous, or "masters in our own house." Almost all aspects of culture in Quebec began to reflect a pride in its French-Canadian identity, and the movement was dubbed "The Quiet Revolution."

Many historians feel that the Richard Riot was far from just a bunch of sports hooligans running amok. They feel it was actually the spark that made the important Quiet Revolution possible and a key moment in the Quebec independence movement.

"I'm not a politician, I'm just a hockey player," Richard always insisted.

The Rocket may have wanted nothing to do with politics or politicians (he actively avoided being drawn into politics after he retired from hockey) but he clearly had a social agenda, whether he wanted to talk about it or not. Richard had an unflappable French-Canadian pride which he showed not through puffery and pompous speeches. He showed it in the best way he knew how--with his fiery, two-fisted passion on the ice and with the simple, yet powerful message sent by a puck to the back of the net.

Maurice Richard never cared too much for attention or adulation in life, but when he passed away on May 27th of this year, the people of Quebec didn't hesitate to show what he meant to them. In a simple ceremony, the dervish known as "Le Rocket" laid uncharacteristically still in his open casket, which was placed between the blue line and the goal at the Molson Centre. Over 115,000 people filed silently by to pay their respects.