For CBC Creator Network, Arizona O'Neill looks at riots in sports and explains how the NHL's treatment of star Montreal Canadiens' player Maurice "Rocket" Richard led to tear gas in the Montreal Forum and violence in the street. And how it paved the way for Quebec's Quiet Revolution.
In 1955, 'Rocket' Richard's NHL suspension highlighted English-French tension
The most famous hockey riot happened in 1955 in Montreal. For CBC Creator Network, Arizona O'Neill looks at how the Richard Riot helped bring about Quebec's Quiet Revolution.
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This video was produced by the CBC Creator Network and was originally published in August 2023.
Today, hockey riots seem like an excuse to wreck cars, smash windows and battle with the police.
But in 1955, a Montreal riot was a touchpoint in a revolution.
For CBC Creator Network, Arizona O'Neill looks at riots in sports and explains how the NHL's treatment of star Montreal Canadiens' player Maurice "Rocket" Richard led to tear gas in the Montreal Forum and violence in the street. And how it paved the way for Quebec's Quiet Revolution.
The Creator Network, which works with emerging visual storytellers to bring their stories to CBC platforms, produced the piece. If you have an idea for the Creator Network, you can send your pitch here.
Arizona O'Neill is a Montreal-based multidisciplinary artist whose videos have been exhibited online, in gallery settings, in apartments, on CBC and on street corners. She has created original videos for artists such as Walter Scott, Laurence Philomene and Patrick Watson, and her monthly illustrations for Drawn & Quarterly are on display at the Mile End bookstore. O'Neill has edited two anthologies: one composed of cat illustrations and the other, reinterpretations of Victorian dating manuals. Her book of illustrated interviews with celebrated and controversial Quebec artists, Est-ce qu'un artiste peut être heureux, was released in December 2022.
