Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction June 2025
Due to his impressive play in the QSHL with the Senior Montreal Canadiens, and with the Habs suffering from a loss of players due to the war effort, Maurice Richard was granted a tryout for the 1942-43 NHL season with les Canadiens. Making the team at 21 years of age, and beginning on Halloween of 1942, the Rocket would play just 16 games that inaugural season after enduring a broken ankle in the December 27, 1942 match vs Boston.
A rarity ideal for the most advanced Richard or Montreal Canadiens collection, we offer his original Canadiens "Professional Try-Out Application Form" for the 1942-43 NHL season, signed by Richard. At 6 1/2" x 8 1/2", the single-page blank-backed document has "Canadian Amateur Hockey Association" along the top with "42-43" handwritten next to "Season". The text explains that the undersigned player "may try-out and practice providing no contract has been signed and no money taken outside of legitimate traveling and living expenses". At the end of the document, there is also an interesting condition, with "If a player does not conform with these regulations in trying out with a professional team he is automatically suspended" Richard has signed in black ink, with the extremely early Rocket autograph displaying beautifully (in 2021, we previously sold an earlier try-out agreement from December of 1941 for the 1941-42 NHL season, but as Richard played no games with the Habs and returned to the senior team, he was required to again sign a try-out agreement for the 1942-43 NHL season). The document is also signed by deceased HOFer William A. Hewitt with his penned signature reading "W.A." Hewitt", with the date of "Oct 7 1942" handwritten.
The document is in wonderful overall condition, with just a faint horizontal fold line down the middle and two holes on the left side from binder insertion (the document has tear marks at each hole, as it would have original been pulled out of it's binder when removed). An extremely significant artifact, this historic document is ideal for any museum or institutional setting.
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