Henri Richard's funeral closed to the public

It's a sad sign of the times, but understandable given the circumstances. It's expected hundreds, if not thousands of people would have attempted to attend the funeral of "The Pocket Rocket" Henri Richard in Montreal. That is no longer an option after a request from the family. 

"In response to measures put in place by the Quebec provincial government to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the family of Henri Richard announced Friday that the funeral to honor the memory of the former Canadiens captain will be closed to the public," said the Montreal Canadiens in a news release. "The exceptional situation currently affecting Quebec leaves the family no other choice but to hold a private funeral, involving only immediate family members. No representatives of the media or members of the general public will be admitted on site." 

This will likely leave many fans hoping to pay their last respects to the legend disappointed, but it's difficult to argue with the decision with everything going on around the globe right now. Anyone wishing to send private messages of condolences to the family can do so by clicking here. 

Henri won 11 Stanley Cups as a player, the most in NHL history. In 2017 Richard was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. He died on March 6th at the age of 84 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.