{"id":538942,"date":"2026-03-15T23:31:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T23:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/538942\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T23:31:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T23:31:22","slug":"bell-centre-plaques-honour-montreals-first-official-hockey-game-and-rocket-richard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/538942\/","title":{"rendered":"Bell Centre plaques honour Montreal\u2019s first official hockey game and Rocket Richard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Montreal\u2019s deep connection to hockey was celebrated Sunday at the Bell Centre with the unveiling of two commemorative plaques marking key moments in the province\u2019s sporting history.<\/p>\n

The plaques recognize the first official game of ice hockey, played in Montreal in 1875, and honour Maurice \u201cRocket\u201d Richard, the legendary Montreal Canadiens forward whose career left a lasting mark on the sport and Quebec society.<\/p>\n

The ceremony took place as part of the 30th anniversary of the Bell Centre and brought together members of Richard\u2019s family and friends as well as former hockey players.<\/p>\n

\"\"The children of former Montreal Canadiens hockey great Maurice \u2018The Rocket\u2019 Richard from left to right, Suzanne, Maurice Jr., and Andre, pose during a plaque unveiling, designating their father a historical figure under the Cultural Heritage Act in Montreal on Sunday, March 15, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Christinne Muschi<\/p>\n

Plaque marks first official hockey game<\/p>\n

One of the plaques commemorates what is widely recognized as the first official ice hockey game, played on March 3, 1875.<\/p>\n

Installed at the entrance of the Bell Centre on avenue des Canadiens-de-Montr\u00e9al, the plaque explains how the historic matchup pitted a team led by captain James G. A. Creighton against a team led by captain Charles E. Torrance. All players were members of the Victoria skating club.<\/p>\n

Creighton\u2019s team won the game 2\u20131, which was played in front of spectators invited to watch what was then a novel demonstration of the sport.<\/p>\n

The designation of the game as a historic event under Quebec\u2019s Cultural Heritage Act was announced March 3, 2025, marking the 150th anniversary of the milestone.<\/p>\n

Tribute to Maurice \u201cRocket\u201d Richard<\/p>\n

A second plaque unveiled at the same location honours Maurice Richard, one of the most iconic players in Montreal Canadiens history and a central figure in Quebec\u2019s sporting culture.<\/p>\n

During over 18 seasons with the Canadiens, Richard helped the team win eight Stanley Cups and finished as the NHL\u2019s leading goal scorer five times.<\/p>\n

\"\"Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications Mathieu Lacombe, right, and Quebec Sports Minister Isabelle Charest unveil a plaque designating former hockey great Maurice \u2018The Rocket\u2019 Richard as an historical ice hockey figure during a ceremony in Montreal, Sunday, May 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Graham Hughes<\/p>\n

In the 1944-45 season, he became the first NHL player to score 50 goals in a single season, reaching the milestone in 50 games.<\/p>\n

Richard remains the Canadiens\u2019 all-time leading goal scorer in both the regular season and playoffs, and the NHL trophy awarded annually to the league\u2019s top goal scorer now bears his name.<\/p>\n

Richard was designated a historic figure under Quebec\u2019s Cultural Heritage Act on May 25, 2025, marking the 25th anniversary of his death.<\/p>\n

\"\"Maurice \u2018Rocket\u2019 Richard, former player for the Montreal Canadiens, in action on Dec. 14, 1954. (AP photo)<\/p>\n

Hockey\u2019s cultural significance highlighted<\/p>\n

Government officials said the plaques recognize hockey\u2019s importance in Quebec\u2019s cultural identity.<\/p>\n

Mathieu Lacombe, Quebec\u2019s minister of culture and communications, said celebrating the province\u2019s history means recognizing the people and events that shaped its identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cCelebrating our culture and history means honoring those who have shaped our identity and passing on their legacy to future generations. Today, we are pleased to unveil these two commemorative plaques, one marking the 150th anniversary of the first ice hockey game and the other honoring Maurice Richard, who embodied the pride and aspirations of the Quebec nation. \u201cThank you to Groupe CH for allowing the Bell Centre to host these two commemorative plaques, which are so important to our history and our collective identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications Mathieu Lacombe (right) and Quebec Minister of Sports Isabelle Charest speak during a ceremony to designate former hockey legend Maurice \u201cRocket\u201d Richard as a historical figure in ice hockey at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Sunday, May 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Graham Hughes<\/p>\n

Isabelle Charest, Quebec\u2019s minister responsible for sport and recreation, said hockey continues to play a unifying role across the province.<\/p>\n

\u201cHockey has always held a unique place in the lives of Quebecers. Played in every region, in cities as well as in rural communities, it remains one of the most unifying sports. It is also a sport that fosters inclusion, and we are working to make it accessible to everyone. I am very proud to be part of a government that is taking concrete steps to promote ice hockey, a sport born here in the city that continues to thrill all of Quebec.\u201d<\/p>\n

Montreal pride in hockey\u2019s birthplace<\/p>\n

City officials also emphasized Montreal\u2019s historic role in the development of the sport.<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9anne Moreau, a member of Montreal\u2019s executive committee responsible for culture and heritage, said the plaques highlight the city\u2019s place in hockey history.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 150 years, hockey has been woven into our culture and deeply rooted in our collective heritage. It inspires us, brings us together, and, in its own way, is part of our identity as Montrealers. It is a source of great pride to know that our national sport was born right here in Montreal. No player has captured the imagination and inspired generations quite like Maurice Richard. Victory after victory, he showed thousands\u2014even hundreds of thousands\u2014of fans that anything is possible. I would like to thank Ministers Lacombe and Charest for highlighting this important chapter in our history and for helping to pass it on with pride to future generations.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"Officials attend a ceremony at the Bell Centre in Montreal on March 15, 2026, marking the unveiling of commemorative plaques honouring the first official ice hockey game and Montreal Canadiens legend Maurice \u201cRocket\u201d Richard. (CityNews)<\/p>\n

Bell Centre hosts new historical markers<\/p>\n

The plaques will remain at the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens.<\/p>\n

France Margaret B\u00e9langer, president of sports and entertainment at Groupe CH, said the arena has hosted many memorable moments for fans over the past three decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 30 years, the Bell Centre has been the setting for memorable moments that bring fans together around their passion for hockey. We are honored to welcome these two commemorative plaques to the Bell Centre: one marking the 150th anniversary of the first ice hockey game, and the other paying tribute to Maurice Richard, an iconic figure in our sporting history. These plaques serve as a reminder of a precious legacy and allow us to share it with fans of today and tomorrow. \u201d<\/p>\n

Hockey recognized as Quebec\u2019s national sport<\/p>\n

The commemorations follow recent legislative recognition of hockey\u2019s cultural importance in Quebec.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 27, 2025, the National Assembly adopted legislation recognizing ice hockey as Quebec\u2019s national sport and establishing the first Saturday of February as National Ice Hockey Day.<\/p>\n

The first celebration took place on Feb. 7, 2026, and will now be observed annually.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Montreal\u2019s deep connection to hockey was celebrated Sunday at the Bell Centre with the unveiling of two commemorative…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338],"class_list":["post-538942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}