Today In Sports History (March 18, 1945)

On this day in 1945, Maurice “Rocket” Richard of the Montreal Canadiens scored his 50th goal of the season – an NHL record. During this time there were only 50 games per season, and Richard scored his during the last game of the regular season. He was the first player to score 50 goals in a single season; breaking the previous record owned by Joe Malone (44 goals) during the 1917-18 NHL season. Malone also played for the Montreal Canadiens, however, the regular season was only 20 games during that time. Maurice Richard retired from the NHL in 1960. His record was tied during the 1960-61 season by Bernie Geoffrion, also a member of the Montreal Canadiens. The record was eventually broken during the 1965-66 season by Bobby Hull with 54 goals. Some of the more loyal Rocket fans argued when Hull broke the scoring record he did with 70 games opposed to Richard doing it in 50 games. But don’t forget Joe Malone nearly broke that record himself (44 goals) in only 20 games back in 1918. Wayne Gretzky currently holds the NHL record for goals scored in a single season with 92 in the 1981-82 season.