Canadian astronaut Thirsk has space chat with Béliveau
The Canadian Press | Posted: September 14, 2009 7:13 PM | Last Updated: September 14, 2009
Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Béliveau may be Bob Thirsk's hockey idol, but the Canadian astronaut admits he has always been a Boston Bruins fan.
Béliveau was at the Canadian Space Agency near Montreal on Monday for what was billed as a special conversation with Thirsk, who continues to orbit the Earth on the International Space Station.
The chat was originally supposed to take place on Sept. 3, which was Day 100 of Thirsk's six-month mission.
CSA officials had been hoping to use the occasion to mark the 100th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens, but things didn't work out as planned.
'Maybe the Canadiens are celebrating their 100th anniversary, but spending over 100 days in space is something quite extraordinary.' —Jean Béliveau, Former Montreal Canadiens hockey great
That didn't disappoint Thirsk, who smiled broadly as he floated inside the space station and chatted with the 78-year-old Béliveau while showing off a photo of the Habs superstar in uniform.
Béliveau told Thirsk he felt honoured his hockey photo was part of the astronaut's baggage and that the picture was orbiting Earth.
But the hall of famer said he was more impressed that Thirsk had already spent more than 100 days in space.
"Maybe the Canadiens are celebrating their 100th anniversary, but spending over 100 days in space is something quite extraordinary," Béliveau said.
Calling him a great Canadian, Thirsk told Béliveau he was "a source of inspiration, not only as an exceptional athlete, but as a man of great valour.
"You personify the personal and professional qualities that I want to promote as an astronaut," he said.
But when questioned later by a reporter, Thirsk, 56, had to admit he was a Boston Bruins fan.
"I hate to say that with Jean Béliveau in the audience . . . but the first hockey game I ever saw live was the Boston Bruins from the mid-70s when Don Cherry was coaching the team," he replied.
He said the Bruins weren't an exciting team, nor were they as talented as the Canadiens, but they worked hard.
"I sort of identify with that," Thirsk said. "I don't think I'm the most talented person in the world, but I think I'm one of the hardest-working, so I still cheer for the Bruins."
With the hockey rivalry in mind, Béliveau invited Thirsk to a Boston-Montreal hockey game sometime this winter.
"I'm gonna remind him, we always found a way to beat Boston," Béliveau later told reporters.
Thirsk is in the fourth month of a six-month stay aboard the space lab and is due back on the ground Nov. 23.
Béliveau described his space conversation with Thirsk as special.
"I've been invited to participate in hundreds and maybe thousands of events in the last 60 years, but this today is unique," Béliveau said.
"I'm honoured to have a chance to talk with somebody in a spaceship. I never thought that one day we'll see that and being here today is special, very special."