Once again, Montrealers are lining the streets in honour of hockey legend Maurice Richard. But unlike the celebratory Stanley Cup parades of the past, the mood this time is sombre. Four days after Richard died of abdominal cancer, at age 78, he's being honoured with a state funeral – the first for a non-political figure in Quebec's history. After saying goodbye, three of Richard's teammates talk to the CBC's Terence McKenna about playing hockey with the Rocket.

Canadians grieve at the news of Maurice Richard's death from cancer in 2000.

Maurice Richard was always a man with goals. Not just the thrilling ones where the puck hits the net, but goals he set for himself. Like excelling in junior hockey despite myriad injuries. Like training to become a machinist when his injuries kept him from becoming a soldier. And making the most of his one big break: a tryout for the NHL's Montreal Canadiens.

Two days after limbering up at training camp for his 19th NHL season, Maurice Richard decides his hockey career is over. On Sept. 15, 1960, Richard announces he's retiring from the game. "For more than two years I have thought more about [retirement] than anything else," Richard says in this CBC Radio clip. "I knew the day was coming sometime, and these last two years have been awfully difficult for me because of it."

The Rocket is restless. A month after suffering a partly severed Achilles tendon, his right leg is still in a cast and he's recuperating at home while it heals. Missing multiple games means he'll likely have to give up any hope of capturing the NHL scoring title for the 1957-58 season. But the injury also means he's spending more time at home with his five children, and that's where CBC Radio finds him.

On a goodwill hockey tour of the north, a retired Maurice Richard still has fans coming out in droves.

The 12,000 fans packed into the Montreal Forum can almost taste redemption. With a win tonight, the Stanley Cup will finally come home. But as the third period winds down, the Canadiens are on the ropes, behind 4-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks. Enter the Rocket, who brings down the house with two stunning goals in less than a minute. As we hear in this CBC Radio play-by-play, Maurice Richard seems an irresistible force, carrying the entire city on his back.

Maurice Richard's temper is as fiery as his nickname, and the Rocket is no stranger to the penalty box. The francophone star is frequently at odds with the man in charge of league discipline, NHL President Clarence Campbell, seen by many as a symbol of the anglophone elite. Richard has been given several fines and suspensions, but on March 13, 1955, he goes too far. During a scrap with the Boston Bruins, Richard deliberately injures an opponent and then punches a linesman.

The Rocket's wife describes marriage to a hockey star and shows off some of his trophies.

"On our backs, we all wore the famous number 9," reads author Roch Carrier from his beloved children's story The Hockey Sweater. "He was not only my hero but also the hero of all my friends," Carrier says. In the celebrated tale, Carrier describes his childhood obsession with the Montreal Canadiens and the Rocket in particular. In this CBC Radio interview, Carrier and Richard discuss the Richard riots, his enduring popularity, and the state of hockey today.