West Island artist pays tribute to Canadian legend Henri Richard

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Jacques Semeteys was an oddity who grew up in Montreal: He was a fan of the Detroit Red Wings, the fierce rivals of the Canadiens’ Original Six in the 1950s.

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His favorite player was legendary Detroit goalkeeper Terry Sawchuk, but Semeteys also rooted for Henri Richard, the younger but equally determined brother of Maurice “Rocket” Richard.

About a year ago, the 77-year-old Semeteys decided to pay tribute to Henri Richard by painting an interpretation of the legend of Habs, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 84.

The oil on canvas painting is currently on display at Studio 77 in Pointe-Claire Village. Studio 77 owner David Epstein encourages local artists by displaying his work on the walls of his café.

The painting, which measures 36 by 72 inches, is an almost life-size portrait of Pocket, who was 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed about 160 pounds.

Aside from the main portrait, there are also four action depictions of Richard in the corners of the painting.

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“I included four action shots of Henri in the typical way he would dodge a big defender by reaching out and passing quickly with his outside foot. He was beating guys that were way bigger than him,” Semeteys said.

The four action shots are of Richard carrying the puck against Bruins legend Bobby Orr, Allan Stanley of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Harry Howell of the New York Rangers and Boston’s Ted Green.

“I used to go to the Forum because my dad had season tickets and Henri Richard was so awesome. He was my favorite Habs player. For the size of him, he was a small giant who had to beat big strong guys. Wow, he was fast! They couldn’t remove the disk. It was weird”.

Henri Richard, who played for the Canadiens from 1955 to 1975, won the Stanley Cup a record 11 times during his illustrious career.

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“Nobody will ever break that record because there are no dynasties like that in hockey anymore,” said Semeteys, a lifelong Pointe-Claire resident who still plays brilliant hockey as a goalie two or three times a week.

Semeteys retired from his real job last year after 45 years as a West Island school bus driver.

Apart from playing hockey, art is another of his passions.

“I have been painting since I was a child. I went to art school in the 1960s. It was commercial art,” she said.

“I never did it professionally because it was so intermittent income-wise. You really can’t live on it. Even if you sell five paintings a year for $1,000, who can survive on that? So I have always painted sporadically and I have always had different jobs throughout my life”.

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The asking price for the painting, which took a year to complete, is $6,000.

Semeteys hopes there is a Habs fan who wants to add his painting of Richard to their collection.

“I emailed it to Les Anciens Canadiens, the veterans of Habs. When you make art, you never know. You make it and hope it sells. Is that how it works.”

“I sold a painting of Rocket Richard years ago,” said Semeteys, who hopes to keep Henri Richard’s memory alive for future generations of hockey fans.

“It’s like Terry Sawchuk, you mention these names to people and nobody knows who they are anymore. That is unfortunate, but it is so.

“There are some people who like to reminisce, but now they are in their 50s or 60s.”

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