| | Associated Press
MONTREAL -- Grieving fans, some in tears and wearing
Montreal Canadiens' jerseys, left cards and bouquets outside the
home of Maurice Richard, mourning one of hockey's greatest players.
|  | | Vincent Bourdages, 10, lays a bouquet at the statue of Canadiens legend Maurice "Rocket" Richard in Montreal. |
Several Montreal TV and radio stations switched to all-Richard
programming immediately after his death and continued the blanket
coverage Sunday.
Prime Minister Jean Chretien said Richard "defined and
transcended the game of hockey."
A state funeral will be in the ornate Notre Dame Basilica on
Wednesday, the Canadiens said. The public can pay respects Monday
and Tuesday, when Richard's body will be in the chapel of the
Molson Centre, home of the Canadiens.
Four members of the Dallas Stars plan to attend a memorial
service in Montreal -- Guy Carbonneau, Mike Keane, Kirk Muller and
general manager Bob Gainey -- between Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley
Cup finals.
"He acquired the status of an icon in Quebec," Gainey said.
"He was directly connected with great accomplishments and
passion."
Richard, perhaps the most popular player in the storied history
of the Canadiens, died at 78 from respiratory failure Saturday
night, a time when fans often settle in to watch hockey.
He had been battling stomach cancer and Parkinson's disease. He
lapsed into a coma Friday night but rallied Saturday morning,
surprising doctors with his spirit. He died 12 days after entering
Hotel-Dieu hospital on May 15.
Fans gathered on the quiet, tree-lined street of his home in
Montreal. At the Maurice Richard Arena, where junior games are
played, a statue of Richard was surrounded by flowers and cards,
with the Quebec flag draped over one shoulder.
"He never, ever lost touch with his public, or with his fans,"
Canadiens president Pierre Boivin said. "He loved to stop and sign
autographs for kids who could only know him as an icon and a
symbol."
Bourque said people will also be able to sign a book of
condolence at city hall.
Born in Montreal on Aug. 4, 1921, Richard grew up in a tough
part of the city next to the Bordeaux jail. Known as the Rocket for
his lightning speed on the ice and the blistering power of his
shot, Richard spent 18 record-setting years with the Canadiens.
He became the NHL's first 50-goal scorer in 1944-45 and went on
to score a then-record 544 in his career. He scored 82 playoff
goals and was on eight Stanley Cup championship teams.
He was so popular that fans set fires and vandalized stores when
he was suspended in 1955 for a fight during a game in Boston.
NHL president Clarence Campbell had suspended Richard for the
last three games of the season and for the playoffs, days after
Richard attacked a linesman and used his stick against a Bruins
opponent.
In Quebec, particularly Montreal, Richard was a cultural hero, a
counterpoint to the dominant role played by English Canadians. Some
historians consider the Richard riot as the spark of a Quebec
nationalism that led to efforts to secede from Canada.
After his retirement, Richard rejected offers to enter politics
or otherwise represent the French Canadian cause.
"God, sometimes I felt sorry for the man," fellow Hall of
Famer Gordie Howe said. "He must have got a standing ovation when
he went shopping."
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