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It's March 13th, 1955 at the Boston Garden Arena in Massachusetts.

Inside the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins are nearing the end of a heated game of

ice hockey. The Canadiens pass the puck from player to player. The team star athlete,

Maurice Rashard, races across the ice towards the net. The Bruins defender,

Hal Leko, intercepts him, raises his stick and strikes Maurice in the head.

Recovering from the blow, a furious Maurice skates straight up to Hal, lunges,

and then slashes him across the face, before breaking his stick over Hal's back with such a force

that it splinters. One of his teammates tries to intervene, but Maurice can't be restrained.

With a hook to the jaw, he knocks out his interfering teammate and returns his fury back on Hal.

As the men brawl, officials rush to tear them apart, but Maurice keeps on punching until finally

he is torn away and forced to lead the ice, bloody and in deep trouble.

By the mid-20th century, Maurice Rashard is one of Montreal's greatest homegrown heroes.

In a country where hockey is said to transcend even religion, Maurice, a French Canadian,

claims legendary status. For much of Quebec's French-speaking population,

Maurice is more than an athlete to root for. He's an inspiration.

And when the icon's brawl in Boston earns him a season-long suspension,

his punishment will be deemed more than just an excessive ruling.

For many French Canadians, it will feel like an affront,

awakening long-held feelings of resentment toward Canada's English-speaking majority.

...