Jean Beliveau

[danasgoodstuff]

Has anyone else been following the coverage of his demise and offical (Quebec) state funeral and all the reminising about his life? I started watching Hockey in '66 so I certainly remember the Habs of that era. I'd forgotten they'd changed the power play rules after he scored 3 goals in less than a minute. I was particularly struck by Geof Molson saying that his parent, English speaking team (and beer) owners held M. Beliveau up as an exemplar of what he should aspoire to growing up to be. What say you?

[johnblitweiler]

All I remember is that inthe 1960s the Chicago Blackhawks used to finish each season as number 1 in the NHL, then the Canadiens w/Beliveau, the Mahovliches, Cournoyer, Dryden, etc. used to break our hearts in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

[danasgoodstuff]

All I remember is that inthe 1960s the Chicago Blackhawks used to finish each season as number 1 in the NHL, then the Canadiens w/Beliveau, the Mahovliches, Cournoyer, Dryden, etc. used to break our hearts in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

So, after one of those finals, the Habs are returning to Montreal and the nice man at Canadian Customs asks Beliveau "Anything to Declare?" and he responds "Just the Stanley Cup". So the clever fellow replies, "We'll just mark that Canadian Goods Returned."

[paul secor]

[Van Basten II]

Has anyone else been following the coverage of his demise and offical (Quebec) state funeral and all the reminising about his life? I started watching Hockey in '66 so I certainly remember the Habs of that era. I'd forgotten they'd changed the power play rules after he scored 3 goals in less than a minute. I was particularly struck by Geof Molson saying that his parent, English speaking team (and beer) owners held M. Beliveau up as an exemplar of what he should aspoire to growing up to be. What say you?

Never saw him play, he retired when I was not yet 1 year old.

Béliveau is also the last of a link of old school hockey. He was the last star of the team when it was still a 6 team league. He was one of the few who became even greater after hockey life as a board member of the Molson brewery and Vice-President of the team before retiring. With an an exceptionnal behaviour, always classy polite with people of all standings always taking time to talk to them in a graceful fashion. He was approached to do politics, PM Jean Chrétien offered him the post of Governor General which he smartly declined. He was one of the few who was able to be appreciated by conflicted parties, anglophones and francophones, federalists and independentists, even those who hated the Habs did appreciate the man. With his death it's an era that dissapears and the values that came with it also.

[paul secor]

I recall seeing him play when I was young. Back then, I was young enough that I thought that sports was about sports, rather than about money and everything else sports is about today. Today it seems that sports is about everything except sports.

Edited December 16, 2014 by paul secor

[medjuck]

I remember an English professor at McGill in 1962 saying that there can be poetry without words: just watch Jean Beliveau skate.

[danasgoodstuff]

I remember an English professor at McGill in 1962 saying that there can be poetry without words: just watch Jean Beliveau skate.

yes, jean B was about as gracefull as any hockey player I've ever seen, and effective too - once scored three times in 45 seconds on a power play.

[Jazzmoose]

He was before my time, unfortunately, and hockey history doesn't seem to be as accessible as baseball history, so I'm feeling a bit ignorant right now

[danasgoodstuff]

I remember an English professor at McGill in 1962 saying that there can be poetry without words: just watch Jean Beliveau skate.

yes, jean B was about as gracefull as any hockey player I've ever seen, and effective too - once scored three times in 45 seconds on a power play.

and then they changed the rules so you couldn't do that anymore!

[danasgoodstuff]

He was before my time, unfortunately, and hockey history doesn't seem to be as accessible as baseball history, so I'm feeling a bit ignorant right now

If you look at point totals, etc. it's v. good but not astounding, but think of this - to get his services, the Habs owners just bought the whole damn league he was in, and off ice he was if anything even more impressive - he was in Saskatoon to help Gordie Howe with some charity thing and after meeting Jean Gordies' sister told him "Oh, we used to be Detroit fans".

"To you from trembling hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high" that's what it says in the Habs old dressing room in the Forum, they take hockey seriously in Montreal.