"Rocket" Richard's new skates

In 1991, Wayne Gretzky and comedian, John Candy, and LA Kings owner, Bruce McNall bought the CFL Toronto Argonaut franchise. Their first order of business was to sign the Heisman Trophy runner-up, Raghib Ismail to a contract.

The Montreal Alouettes' had their "ordinary superstar" in Johnny Rogers but Toronto's Ismail was expected to re-write the record book in Canadian football. His nick-name was "Rocket" Ismail.

We already had a legendary "Rocket" who had no equal so I wondered if this football guy knew what he was in for.

When he arrived in Toronto in November of that year, I invited him to attend our Sports Celebrities Festival and asked him if he'd ever heard of the other Rocket, "Rocket" Richard.

He told me that he was "well schooled in Richard's career ... 
I know everything there is to know about the great hockey player". 

Perfect. 

The reason I asked ... I wanted to do a portrait of the
"Two Rockets" and sell the picture at our fundraiser. 

They both agreed, posed in designer evening wear and signed 15 copies of the finished photo which I had beautifully framed. (this is the place where I should show you the picture. However, it was the first one I did and the negative is long-gone)

However, that single photo, The Two Rockets, launched us into a portrait series of 30 celebrities from the sports and entertainment world. The snaps were all created by the super, Canadian photographer, Kevin Birch, who always provided his wonderful work at no charge. 

Each celebrity following the Two Rockets' agreed to personally autograph 50 copies and those items provided silent auction content for Special Olympic fundraising events across Canada for decades.

As an example, the beautifully framed Guy Lafleur and the Shania Twain portraits sold for an average of $800 each x 50 copies ... which produced $80,000 in revenue for 2 pictures.  Outstanding!

But, back to Rocket Ismail. 
Unfortunately, he never quite lived up to the other "Rocket's" status or the $18 million that Gretzky/Candy/McNall decided to pay him (remember this was in 1991).

Silent auction buyers at our Toronto event said they loved the photo
of the 74-year old "Rocket" Richard but didn't understand why the other guy was in the picture.



The Sports Celebrities Festival Breakfast for the benefit of Special Olympics Canada typically attracts up to 2,000 early risers from Toronto’s financial district and “Rocket” Richard was just one of 30 expected international celebrity guests (including the other Rocket) for that year's event.

Following breakfast, those celebrities who were willing and able were bused to the city hall skating rink for a series of on-ice contests against some local media personalities -- all for fun -- 
all for raising awareness ... all for our Special Olympians. 

Oh ... did I mention that Maurice Richard was a competitor?

I tried to monitor the arrival of all the celebrities at the hotel during the afternoon - the day before breakfast. I like to make sure everyone is checked in and happy with their accommodations.
This time, everyone was early but nobody could remember seeing “Rocket" Richard.

As the afternoon wore on, I started to worry about him. I asked Mildred, our 80+ volunteer greeter to go to his room to see if he had somehow snuck in under our net.

She returned to the lobby a while later 
with a strange look on her face.
She confirmed that he was there.

She said ... "when he came to the door, he was wearing a handsome checkered suit with a matching tie and his skates”.

Mildred said ... “ he bought a new pair of skates to participate in the races at city hall ”. 74-year-old "Rocket" was trying to break them in by walking around on the hotel carpet.

Mildred wasn't a hockey fan.
"Rocket's" name didn't ring any bells for her.
However, she did make one very astute observation
...   “that young man sure has very piercing eyes, doesn’t he”?

During the NHL Original Six team era, while Maurice Richard of the Canadiens regularly waged war against the blue and white of Toronto, he was routinely booed, jeered and the target of many a rubber boot launched at him from the Maple Leaf Gardens cheap seats.

At the Special Olympic Breakfast,
when “Rocket” Richard was introduced to our sold-out crowd, 
2,000 stood in unison to welcome him back to the city that had hated him.

It was only the second time in the 26 year history of the event that a celebrity had earned a standing ovation. 

The other was for Cito Gaston of the Blue Jays in 1992 when he won the first-ever World Series for Canada.

Incidentally, following his back-to-back WS wins in '92-'93, not a single sports or news or baseball publication asked baseball's 
only-ever black manager to pose with his 2 World Championship trophies - not even one of Toronto's four daily newspapers.
But, I did -- it raised over $50,000 for our charity.

But, back to Maurice Richard.
He was so appreciative of his warm Toronto welcome, he attended our event four more times and typical of his generous spirit never asked for or collected an appearance fee.

You would have liked “Rocket”. 

You would have liked to have a beer with him. 
He had a quick smile. 
He was gracious, approachable, friendly and always a gentleman. 

And, he always wore a handsome suit with a matching tie.

For me, Maurice Richard was the "Babe" Ruth of hockey. 
During the 1940s, hockey in Montreal wasn't being supported by fans. Maurice Richard forced fans to come to the Forum ...  he was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in 50 games. Everbody in Montreal wanted a ticket to watch "Rocket" play, and score.

Then, he went on to captain his team and earn 8 Stanley Cups - 
5 of which were won in consecutive years in the 1950's - a record that still stands in the 2019-20 season.  He was much more than a hockey player to Quebecers ... he was a god-like hockey force ... a symbol for all of French Canada to rally behind. He was one of the first recipients of the Order of Canada and when he passed away from cancer, on May 27, 2000, he was given a State funeral with his casket presented at The Bell Centre so all of Quebec could say a proper goodbye and thanks to their hero.