Basil O'Meara  Basil Edmund "Baz" O'Meara (June 5, 1892 – October 25, 1971), was a Canadian sports journalist. A columnist for the "Montreal Star", he won the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award in 1984 and is a member of the media section of the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1979, O'Meara was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. O'Meara joined the "Star" in 1929 and retired at the age of 76 around 1968. Although contaversy exists over this claim, he was widely credited with nicknaming Maurice Richard "Rocket". He began his career at the "Ottawa Free Press" in 1910. He died of a massive stroke in 1971.