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 "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," Canadiens president Geoff Molson said in
a statement early on Wednesday.
"Jean Beliveau was a great leader, a gentleman and arguably the
greatest ambassador our game has ever known."
Beliveau spent his 20-year career with Montreal, including 10 as the
team's captain, and was also part of the franchise's unprecedented
run of five-straight Stanley Cup championships from 1956 to 1960.
When he retired after the 1970-71 season he was the team's all-time
leader in nearly every offensive category. Beliveau is considered
one of the greatest players in the team's rich history and remains
second on its all-time scoring list.
The Canadiens retired Beliveau's jersey the season after he retired,
ensuring no other Montreal player wears the number four.
He suffered from a number of health issues in recent years,
including throat cancer, which he eventually recovered from, and a
number of heart-related problems and strokes.
Beliveau, who was named the honorary captain for Canada's 2010 men's
Olympic ice hockey team, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1972 after a career where he amassed 1,219 points in 1,125 games.
The Hockey Hall of Fame waived its usual three-year waiting period
so it could induct Beliveau sooner.
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Beliveau twice won the Hart Trophy, presented to the NHL's most
valuable player, won the Art Ross Trophy once as the top scorer
during the regular season and won the Conn Smythe Trophy once as the
MVP of the playoffs.
In 2009, he received the NHL's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Beliveau is survived by his wife Elise, their daughter and two
granddaughters.
"No record book can capture, no image can depict, no statue can
convey the grandeur of the remarkable Jean Beliveau, whose elegance
and skill on the ice earned the admiration of the hockey world while
his humility and humanity away from the rink earned the love of fans
everywhere," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement on
Wednesday.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Steve Keating)
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