Dickie Moore (ice hockey)

Richard Winston "Dickie" Moore (January 6, 1931 – December 19, 2015) was a Canadian professional hockey player, successful businessman and community philanthropist. He twice won the Art Ross Trophy as the National Hockey League's leading scorer and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Moore spent much of his career with the Montreal Canadiens, but also played briefly with the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues. In 2017 Moore was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.[1]

Dickie Moore
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1974
Moore with the Montreal Jr. Royals in 1948
Born (1931-01-06)January 6, 1931
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died December 19, 2015(2015-12-19) (aged 84)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for NHL
Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
St. Louis Blues
AHL
Buffalo Bisons
Playing career 1951–1968

Career

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Moore played left wing with the Montreal Canadiens from 1951 to 1963.[2] He started playing with the Montreal Jr. Royals for three seasons from 1947 to 1950, and made his debut with the Montreal Canadiens in the middle of the 1951–52 season. Moore had played on two Memorial Cup winners, one with the Montreal Royals in 1949 and Montreal Junior Canadiens the following year. In the late 1940s Canadiens GM Frank Selke Sr. anointed him Canada's best junior.[3]

He was known for his hard accurate shot and his ability to stickhandle the puck. He twice won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer.[2] Moore broke Gordie Howe's record of 95 total points in a regular season play with 41 goals and 55 assists. He often played on the same line as Henri Richard and Maurice Richard.[4]

Moore won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 1953 and was a member of the Montreal Canadiens team that won five consecutive cups from 1956 to 1960.

During his 1957–58 season with the Canadiens, Moore suffered a broken wrist during a collision with Detroit defenceman Marcel Pronovost which threatened to cut short a scoring championship year. Journalist Red Fisher described what happened next: Moore, the competitor, wanted to win the Art Ross. He had his eye on the prize, but Moore, the team man, had other ideas. One night, when the Canadiens were travelling on the train, he asked for a meeting with coach Toe Blake and his linemates, Maurice and Henri Richard. At the time, Henri was Dickie's closest pursuer in the scoring race. Dickie told them he could still play with his wrist in a cast, but for how long? And as long as he played with an injury that would sideline most players, how much could he contribute to the line? "It’s not fair to Henri," Moore told Blake. "It’s not fair not to allow him to win the scoring title." The meeting lasted no more than a few minutes. It ended abruptly when Maurice and Henri told Blake: "There’s no damned way he’s going off the line." Moore remained on the line. He played with his wrist imprisoned in a cast for the second half of the season. He won the Art Ross with an NHL-leading 36 goals and 48 assists in a 70-game season. Henri finished four points behind. Moore won it again in 1958–59 with 41 goals and 55 assists.[3]

He retired following the 1962–63 season, but came back after a year's hiatus to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.[2] Another three-year break saw Moore return to play 45 games for the St. Louis Blues.[2] The 37-year-old went out with a bang, picking up 14 postseason points as the Blues made it into the Finals in their inaugural campaign.[2]

In 1974, Moore was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1998, he was ranked number 31 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Later life

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Following his retirement from hockey, Moore became a successful businessman, operating an equipment and tools rental business for construction in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.

On November 12, 2005, the Canadiens retired the uniform number 12 in honour of both Moore and Yvan Cournoyer.[5]

On August 27, 2006, Moore suffered neck, spine, and rib injuries when his car was hit by a truck in Montreal. He was trapped in the car for 45 minutes before rescue.[6] He died on December 19, 2015, in Montreal at the age of 84.[2][7][8][9][10]

Personal

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Moore had three children: Richard, Lianne and John. In 1973, Richard died at the age of 16 in a car accident. Richard had been attending Malcolm Campbell High School in Montreal. The Dickie Moore Memorial Awards are presented annually in memory of former Kentville Minor Hockey player Dickie Moore Jr.[11]

Awards and records

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Career statistics

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1947–48 Montreal Jr. Royals QJHL 29 10 11 21 20 13 6 5 11 14
1948–49 Montreal Jr. Royals QJHL 47 22 34 56 71 10 4 8 12 6
1948–49 Montreal Royals QSHL 2 0 0 0 0
1948–49 Montreal Jr. Royals M-Cup 15 8 5 13 31
1949–50 Montreal Jr. Royals QJHL 1 0 1 1 5
1949–50 Montreal Jr. Canadiens QJHL 35 24 19 43 110 16 8 13 21 51
1949–50 Montreal Jr. Canadiens M-Cup 13 10 14 24 41
1950–51 Montreal Jr. Canadiens QJHL 33 12 22 34 58 9 5 4 9 34
1951–52 Montreal Canadiens NHL 33 18 15 33 44 11 1 1 2 12
1951–52 Montreal Royals QMHL 26 15 20 35 32
1952–53 Montreal Canadiens NHL 18 2 6 8 19 12 3 2 5 13
1952–53 Buffalo Bisons AHL 6 2 3 5 10
1953–54 Montreal Canadiens NHL 13 1 4 5 12 11 5 8 13 8
1953–54 Montreal Royals QHL 2 0 1 1 4
1954–55 Montreal Canadiens NHL 67 16 20 36 32 12 1 5 6 22
1955–56 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 11 39 50 55 10 3 6 9 12
1956–57 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 29 29 58 56 10 3 7 10 4
1957–58 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 36 48 84 65 10 4 7 11 4
1958–59 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 41 55 96 61 11 5 12 17 8
1959–60 Montreal Canadiens NHL 62 22 42 64 54 8 6 4 10 4
1960–61 Montreal Canadiens NHL 57 35 34 69 62 6 3 1 4 4
1961–62 Montreal Canadiens NHL 57 19 22 41 54 6 4 2 6 8
1962–63 Montreal Canadiens NHL 67 24 26 50 61 5 0 1 1 2
1964–65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 38 2 4 6 68 5 1 1 2 6
1967–68 St. Louis Blues NHL 27 5 3 8 9 18 7 7 14 15
NHL totals 719 261 347 608 652 135 46 64 110 122

References

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  1. ^ a b "100 Greatest NHL Players". NHL.com. January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Montreal Canadiens great Dickie Moore dead at 84". CBC.ca. 2015-12-19. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
  3. ^ a b "Red Fisher: Remembering great friend and Habs legend Dickie Moore, dead at age 84".
  4. ^ "Dickie Moore might have been the best of Canadiens' dynasty". The Toronto Star. 19 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Canadiens honor No. 12 for Moore, Cournoyer". ESPN.com. 2005-11-13. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  6. ^ "Report: Habs great Moore seriously hurt in accident". ESPN.com. 2006-08-30. Retrieved 2006-08-30.
  7. ^ Fisher, Red (December 20, 2015). "Red Fisher: Remembering great friend and Habs legend Dickie Moore, dead at age 84". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  8. ^ Goldstein, Richard (20 December 2015). "Dickie Moore, a Feisty Piece of a Canadiens Dynasty, Dies at 84". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "The Montreal Canadiens mourn the loss of Richard "Dickie" Moore". nhl.com. 2015-12-19. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
  10. ^ "Canadiens legend Dickie Moore dies at 84". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  11. ^ "Saltwire | Nova Scotia".
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Preceded by Winner of the Art Ross Trophy
1958, 1959
Succeeded by