The trophy was named for Captain George Taylor Richardson, a hockey player who died while serving in World War I. Captain George Taylor Richardson (September 14, 1886 – February 9, 1916) was a Canadian ice hockey player, businessman, philanthropist, and later a soldier.

[4] He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in World War I, and died in action in Belgium,[5] and was created a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour of the French Third Republic.

[14] The final Richardson Trophy in 1971 was played between the Quebec Remparts and the St. Catharines Black Hawks, and was controversial due to violence and off-ice disputes causing its abandonment before completion.

The series was played when tensions were high between Anglophone Canadians and Francophone nationalists, and featured future NHL stars Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne.

St. Catharines refused to return to Quebec City due to violence that occurred after game four, and threats from the Front de libération du Québec against its players.

The Quebec Remparts ultimately accepted the challenge by the Western Canada champion Edmonton Oil Kings to play for the Memorial Cup.