MONTREAL - It is hard to imagine a classier hockey player, on and off the ice, than Jean Beliveau.
Stephon
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Montreal Canadiens, the 83-year-old Beliveau was also a gracious spokesman for
the team and the sport.The NHL club lost the man who embodied all the attributes
of their dynasty teams of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s — talent, flair,
intelligence and success.He scored 507 goals, won 10 Stanley Cups and was
captain for 10 seasons before his retirement in 1971, then moved seamlessly into
an executive position with the club.Words like class and gentleman were attached
to Beliveau by virtually everyone who met him.Like millions of hockey fans who
followed the life and the career of Jean Beliveau, the Canadiens today mourn the
passing of a man whose contribution to the development of our sport and our
society was unmeasurable, team owner Geoff Molson said in a statement posted on
the Canadiens website.Jean Beliveau was a great leader, a gentleman and arguably
the greatest ambassador our game has ever known, Molson added.Meeting him is not
like meeting other stars from the old days, said Beliveau’s former linemate
Gilles Tremblay, who died last week.When people see Bobby Hull, they say: Hi
Bobby. When they meet Big Jean, its always: Hi, Mr. Beliveau. He commands
respect.NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said hockey was elevated forever by his
character, his dignity and his class.For all the accomplishments he achieved and
all the accolades he received, Jean Beliveau was always the epitome of the boy
whose only dream was to play for the Montreal Canadiens, Bettman said in a
statement. Hockey is better because that dream was realized.Canadiens fans who
revered Beliveau were given a scare in 2000 when he was diagnosed with throat
cancer, but after losing 30 pounds during treatment and enduring the worst
period of my life, he recovered and was soon back in his familiar spot —
attending nearly every home game with his wife Elise in the seats among the
fans. He also survived a stroke in 2012.Such was his spotless image, Beliveau
turned down an offer from prime minister Brian Mulroney in the 1980s to sit in
the Senate and refused an offer extended by prime minister Jean Chretien in 1994
to become Canada’s governor general.Even the crafty handling of his first
professional contract in the early 1950s, when he landed a comparatively
enormous salary that averaged more than $20,000 as an unproven rookie, didnt
tarnish his public appeal.A resigned general manager Frank Selke Sr., when asked
what it took to sign Beliveau, simply said: All I did was open up the Forum
vault and say: Help yourself, Jean.The signing had been ordered by the Canadiens
owners, who had bought the entire Quebec Senior Hockey League to secure the
rights to the quiet, six-foot-three centre for the Quebec Aces.And the esteem in
which he was held, inside and outside hockey, was not the result of a cynically
nurtured persona. Those closest to him insist the graciousness was genuine.Until
shortly before his death, he would spend time before and after every home game
signing autographs and talking to anyone who approached. For those he knew,
there was always a smile and a handshake.It seemed that Beliveau got his
business savvy from his father, Arthur Beliveau, an electrician, and his values
from growing up in the small Quebec community of Victoriaville, where he was an
altar boy at the local church.Beliveau, the eldest of seven children, was born
on Aug. 31, 1931, in Trois-Rivieres, Que., but moved to Victoriaville, a dairy
centre southwest of Quebec City, when he was three.He learned to control the
puck on a crowded backyard rink and by the time he was a teenager, the Beliveau
legend was growing.When Victoriavilles junior team folded, he moved to Quebec
City and began filling rinks around the province. When he moved up to the senior
Aces, he was said he be earning $20,000 in salary and endorsements on what
officially was an amateur team.It was Arthur Beliveau who insisted his son not
sign away his pro rights and maintain the right to negotiate his salary — a rare
move in a time when the six NHL teams virtually owned players from boyhood
onward.That forced the Canadiens to hand Beliveau, nicknamed Le Gros Bill, a
$110,000, five-year contract, including a large signing bonus, to lure him from
Quebec, a city he loved and that adored him in return.Beliveau had short stints
with the Canadiens two consecutive years before joining the club for good for
the 1953-54 season.He carried tremendous pressure into the NHL, both for his
amateur scoring feats and his salary, which was only topped by scoring legend
Maurice (Rocket) Richard.His rookie season was spoiled by injuries. Although he
rebounded with 37 goals as a sophomore, he was criticized for soft play and
failing to retaliate to opponents cheap shots.That all changed in his third
season, 1955-56, when Beliveau decided to fight back. He led the team with 143
penalty minutes, led the NHL with 47 goals and 41 assists and took the first of
his two Hart Trophies as the league’s most valuable player.That season also
marked the beginning of the Canadiens record string of five consecutive Stanley
Cup titles, on a team that also had Richard, scorers Dickie Moore and Bernard
(Boom Boom) Geoffrion and two innovators — rushing defenceman Doug Harvey and
wandering goaltender Jacques Plante.At six foot three and 205 pounds, Beliveau
combined strength, a long reach, a soft touch on the puck and remarkable vision
on the ice to dominate the league.In a 2011 interview, Beliveau said he would
not have quite the same size advantage in todays NHL.Id only be average, he
said. Way back 40 or 45 years ago, at 6-3 there were not too may of us.In
Chicago, Eddie Litzenberger, maybe Allan Stanley in Toronto. But now you have
players who are 6-7, 6-9, 250 pounds. What amazes me is that, in the past, a
tall and heavy guy was usually not a great skater but today they skate pretty
well. Very good, as a matter of fact.Beliveaus slapshot, with a lazy-looking
half wind-up, was deceptively hard.Don Marshall, a checking forward for the
Canadiens in the 1950s and 1960s, said even Beliveaus teammates were in awe of
his skill.It was such a pleasure to watch him play and handle the puck, said
Marshall. He was so graceful on the ice.You knew that when your team needed a
goal, he’d be on the ice with Richard or (Bert) Olmstead and you knew it could
happen.Richard retired in 1960 and Harvey was traded the following year.
Beliveau took over the captaincy in 1961 on a team rebuilding for another run of
Cups under coach Hector (Toe) Blake.Beliveau won his second Hart Trophy in 1964,
when a new Canadiens dynasty arose to take four Cups in a five-year span.The one
that got away was 1967, when Montreal desperately wanted a Cup to celebrate the
city’s world’s fair, Expo 67, only to lose in the final to Toronto in what
remains the Maple Leafs last championship.We lost to Toronto in 1967 and I was
disappointed because I thought we had the better team, Beliveau said years
later.After the 1969-70 season, in which an aging Beliveau had only 19 goals,
general manager Sam Pollack talked his captain into playing one more
season.Beliveau scored 25 goals — including his milestone 500th — and added 22
points in 20 playoff games as the Canadiens won another Stanley Cup, allowing
their big centre to retire, at 40, a winner.In his career, Beliveau had 1,219
points in 1,125 games, plus 79 goals and 97 assists in 162 playoff matches. He
was named to the NHL’s first all-star team six times, and the second team four
times.I always enjoyed the playoffs, he said. I enjoyed playing in it.
Everybody, not only the players, but management, the fans, maybe the press,
everybody is so much more nervous. So I enjoyed every game.Where other stars,
including Richard, had nasty post-career experiences with token public relations
jobs, Beliveau was made the Habs vice-president of corporate affairs, where he
worked on marketing and became a bright and knowledgeable sounding board for a
succession of team presidents and general managers.It may not be coincidence
that it was after Beliveau stopped going to the office every day in 1993, when
he retired to become a part-time public relations ambassador, that poor
decision-making set in and the Canadiens began a slide into mediocrity.In 2005,
Beliveau made headlines when he sold off many of his hockey mementoes. Beliveau
said he had mixed emotions about his decision but that the time had come to part
with the objects, including his Stanley Cup ring from 1958-59, a replica of the
Conn Smythe Trophy he won in 1965, the inaugural year for the playoff MVP award,
his Hockey Hall of Fame induction ring and the pucks he used to score his first
and last NHL regular-season goals. The auction raised about $1 million.When the
Canadiens opened Centennial Plaza at the Bell Centre as part of the team’s 100th
anniversary, their four greatest players were honoured with statues — Richard,
Howie Morenz, Guy Lafleur and Beliveau.Beliveau also ran a charitable foundation
and sat on the board of directors of several companies.He and his wife Elise had
one daughter, Helene, and granddaughters Mylene and Magalie.Note to readers:
This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly said Quinn died Nov.
30 instead of Nov. 23
Kyrie
Irving Team USA Jersey . -- Justin Verlander took a no-hit bid into the
sixth inning and won his fourth straight decision, leading Detroit over the
Kansas City Royals 9-4 Sunday and extending the Tigers winning streak to a
season-high five games.
Carmelo
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http://www.teamusaolympicsshop.com/Olympics-Chris-Mullin-Usa-Jersey/ . "I never commented to anyone that I wanted out," he explained. "My heart is
with this group and making the playoffs." Kesler added that the rumours are
"completely false" that he asked to be traded - recently or ever.Montreal, QC
(SportsNetwork.com) - The New York Rangers found out once again what a
difference Carey Price can make. In the first meeting between Montreal and the
Rangers since last years Eastern Conference finals, Price turned away 34-of-35
shots in a stellar effort that carried the red-hot Canadiens to a 3-1 victory at
Bell Centre. Price sustained a knee injury in Game 1 of the 2014 East finals and
missed the remainder of the series, a contributing factor to the Rangers
prevailing in six games. The standout goaltender was healthy and in top form on
Saturday, however, yielding just a first-period goal to Carl Hagelin to help
Montreal move to 7-1-0 on the young season. Max Pacioretty had a goal and an
assist in the win, which concluded a perfect four-game homestand for the Habs.
Tomas Plekanec and Lars Eller also scored while Dale Weise chipped in a pair of
assists. The Rangers had a three-game win streak snapped as Henrik Lunqvist
couldnt match Prices performance, finshing with 26 saves. After both teams lit
the lamp once during an evenly played opening period, Price came up with 13
saves in the second and Eller broke the tie with a second-effort score with 8:14
remaining in the frame. P.K. Subban fired a drive that was blocked in front of
the New York net and Lundqvist denied Weise in close on the rebound, but the
RRangers were unable to clear the puck and Eller jammed it home for his first
goal of the season.
Scottie
Pippen Team USA Jersey. . Price was spotless once again during a 13-save
third that saw Montreal extend the margin courtesy of Pacioretty, who slipped a
shot past Lundqvist 6:36 into the period after taking in a behind-the-net
backhand feed from Wiese. Plekanec opened the scoring with a shorthanded tally
with just over 12 minutes elapsed in the contest, forcing a turnover in the
Montreal zone that created a 2-on-none breakout with Pacioretty against a
defenseless Lundqvist. Hagelin drew the Rangers even with 2:53 to go in the
first, skating uncovered into the slot to put in the carom of Dan Girardis
initial attempt that Price got a piece of. Game Notes Prior to the start of the
contest, the Canadiens teamed with the Senators and Maple Leafs, who were also
at home on Saturday night -- to stage a coordinated pregame ceremony honoring
the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in the tragic events in Ottawa
earlier this week ... The Rangers fell to 1-8-2 in their last 11 regular-season
visits to Montreal and have now dropped six of their last seven non-playoff
meetings with the Habs overall ... New York forward Rick Nash, whose eight goals
is tied for second in the league this season, was held to one shot.
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