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What are your thoughts on the life of Jean Béliveau?

Remembering Jean Béliveau: He was a hockey player in a class of his own. Loved not only for his skill on ice, but for his presence and grace off the ice. What are your thoughts on his passing?
CBC Radio ·
Cross Country Checkup1:53:00December 7, 2014 - Jean Beliveau

Remembering Jean Béliveau: He was a hockey player in a class of his own.  Loved not only for his skill on the ice, but for his presence and grace off the ice.  What are your thoughts on his passing?

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INTRODUCTION

Hundreds are already lining up to pay their respects to a man who took off his beloved Canadiens jersey and hung up his skates in 1971 at the age of 39. At the time he was one of the few players to be inducted directly into the Hockey Hall of Fame without the mandatory waiting period. His record spoke for itself: 10 Stanley Cups as a player and another seven as an executive. Ken Dryden was a rookie goalie in Beliveau's last season and they shared a hotel room during that last tumultuous ride to yet another Stanley Cup - Dryden's first, Beliveau's last as a player.

Dryden said Beliveau was great on ice but his greatness grew after he retired. In a memorial Dryden wrote for the Toronto Star he said, "He became an ambassador for the Canadiens, but one like no other.

"He was the great Jean Béliveau, tall, handsome, graceful and gracious, with his warm dignity and friendly smile,  yet there he was. He treated everyone with such respect. He said the right things, and in the right way - in French  and in English - because that is what he believed, and that's how he was. He made every occasion better. He made everyone who attended feel that their town, their organization, their province, their country, their event  mattered. That they mattered. Appealing to their best selves, he reminded them of the best that was in them.

"It's how he had been as a player. Unlike most other great stars, his presence didn't diminish others. He made others better."

Today we want to talk about Jean Beliveau. He died Tuesday night at the age of 83. His body is lying in state in the Bell Centre in Montreal, home of the Montreal Canadiens, and they expect as many as 50,000 to come to pay their respects. Last night, in arenas around North America, hockey players and their fans stood in silence to mark his passing. How is it that someone who hung up his skates more than 40 years ago can endure in the hearts of so many, many who weren't even alive to see him play?

So many have stories of Jean Beliveau, some of them about his exploits on ice, some of them about his exemplary behaviour off ice, some simply chance encounters where in the space of just minutes he left his mark. We'd love to hear those stories and your thoughts about what makes this man stand out.

Our question today: What are your thoughts on the life of Jean Beliveau?

GUESTS

Roy MacGregor
Globe and Mail columnist and author of many books about this country and hockey including "Home Team: Fathers, Sons and Hockey" and "Canadians: A Portrait of a Country and Its People."
Twitter: @RoyMacG

​Don Cherry
Hockey Night In Canada commentator
Twitter: @CoachsCornerCBC

Yves Boisvert
La Presse columnist
Twitter: @YvesBoisvert

Howie Meeker
Former NHL star forward, Toronto Maple Leafs coach, commentator on Hockey Night in Canada and politician.

LINKS

CBC.ca

National Post

Globe and Mail

​Montreal Gazette

Toronto Star

TWITTER & EMAIL