Editing Maurice Richard (section)

===First Stanley Cup===
[[File:Maurice Richard and Toe Blake.jpg|thumb|upright|Richard (''left'') sits beside [[Toe Blake]]. 
The pair, along with Elmer Lach, comprised the "Punch line" in the 1940s.|alt=Richard, in full uniform except for his skates, sits on a locker room bench and stares at teammate Toe Blake beside him]]
Having recovered from his broken ankle in time for the 1941–42 season, Richard returned to the QSHL Canadiens, with whom he played 31 games and recorded 17 [[point (ice hockey)|point]]s before he was again injured.<ref name="NHLStats" /> He suffered a broken wrist after becoming entangled with a defenceman and crashed into the net.<ref>{{harvnb|Carrier|2001|p=48}}</ref> Richard rejoined the team for the playoffs. The skills he demonstrated in the QSHL, combined with the NHL parent club's loss of players to the war and struggles to draw fans due to its poor record and a lack of francophone players, earned Richard a tryout with the Canadiens for the [[1942–43 NHL season|1942–43 season]].<ref name="Foran42" /><ref>{{harvnb|Carrier|2001|p=55}}</ref> He signed a contract worth $3,500 for the year and, wearing sweater number 15, made his NHL debut with the team.<ref>{{harvnb|Foran|2011|p=43}}</ref> Richard's first goal was against the [[New York Rangers]] on November 8, 1942.<ref name="LOHBio">{{citation |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p196108&type=Player&page=bio&list= |title=Maurice Richard biography |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |access-date=March 10, 2014}}</ref>

Injury again sidelined Richard as his [[rookie]] season ended after only 16 games when he suffered a broken leg.<ref name="CanadiensHistory">{{citation |url=http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/player/Maurice-Richard |title=An emblematic icon of the Montreal Canadiens, Maurice Richard's influence and impact transcended the game |publisher=Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club |access-date=March 10, 2014 |archive-date=November 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123105531/http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/player/Maurice-Richard |url-status=dead }}</ref> The string of broken bones so early in his career left observers wondering if Richard was too fragile to play at the highest levels.<ref name="PodnieksPlayers723"/> He made a second attempt to enlist with the military but was again turned down after x-rays revealed that his bones had not healed properly; Richard's ankle was left permanently deformed, forcing him to alter his skating style. Humiliated by the rejection, he intensified his training and reported to Montreal's training camp for the [[1943–44 NHL season|1943–44 season]] fully healthy.<ref>{{harvnb|Foran|2011|pp=44–45}}</ref> The arrival of his daughter Huguette prompted Richard to change his uniform to number 9 to match her birth weight of nine pounds.<ref>{{harvnb|Carrier|2001|p=63}}</ref>

Remaining healthy throughout the season, Richard appeared in 46 of Montreal's 50 games. He led the Canadiens with 32 goals and tallied 54 points, third-best in his team.<ref>{{harvnb|Lavigne|2013|p=288}}</ref> His first full NHL season not only ended the criticism about his ability to play in the league, but established him as one of the best young players in the league.<ref name="CanadiensHistory" /> Coach [[Dick Irvin]] shifted him from [[winger (ice hockey)|left wing]] to right and put him on a [[line (ice hockey)|forward line]] with [[Toe Blake]] and [[Elmer Lach]]. The trio, known as the "[[Punch line (ice hockey)|Punch line]]", formed a dominant scoring unit throughout the 1940s.<ref name="PodnieksPlayers723" /> The Canadiens lost only six games after October, and went on to win the franchise's first [[Stanley Cup]] championship in 13 years.<ref name="CanadiensHistory" /> Richard led the league with 12 playoff goals,<ref>{{harvnb|Lavigne|2013|p=289}}</ref> including a [[List of players with five or more goals in an NHL game|five-goal]] effort against the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]] in a semi-final game. He tied [[Newsy Lalonde]]'s NHL record for goals in one playoff game (equalled by three players since), which resulted in his being named [[three stars (ice hockey)|first, second and third star]] of the game,<ref>{{citation |url=http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/greatest-moment/Rocket-s-Three-Stars |title=Rocket's three stars |publisher=Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club |access-date=March 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407094814/http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/greatest-moment/Rocket-s-Three-Stars |archive-date=April 7, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> as chosen by journalist [[Charles Mayer (journalist)|Charles Mayer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportshall.ca/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famers-search.html?proID=378&lang=EN|title=Charles Mayer|year=1971|website=[[Canada's Sports Hall of Fame]]|access-date=December 25, 2020}}</ref> Richard was named a [[NHL All-Star team|second team All-Star]] following the season. It was the first of 14 consecutive years he was named a league all-star.<ref name="Cameron156" />