Saturday Night Hockey: A Few Words on Jean Beliveau

I know I know, meant to do it earlier this week. Either way, here are a words I wrote about Mr. Beliveau.

The hockey world once again lost a legend last week with the passing of Jean Beliveau. Nicknamed "le gros Bill", Beliveau had a Hall of Fame career on the ice. In 20 NHL seasons (a quick call up in 1950-51 followed by 19 straight seasons between 1952-53 and 1970-71), Beliveau scored 507 goals and recorded 712 assist for 1219 points in 1125 regular season games. In the process, he won the Stanley Cup 10 times (and added 7 more as an executive). On an individual bases, Beliveau won the Art Ross once (1956), Hart trophy twice (1956 and 1964) and was the inaugural recipient of the Conn Smythe trophy (1965).

But the on-ice achievements was only a faction of the legend of Jean Beliveau. While I knew that he handled himself with class, dignity, and was loyal (almost to a fault - it might have been the reason that he refused to go from the Quebec Aces to the Habs, forcing the Habs to buy the whole league), I never knew the full extent of it until after he passed away. About how he would handwrite every reply to letters from fans, about how anyone could call him and he would talk to them, about how he turned down government positions (even a chance to become the Governor General) in order to spend more time with his family, and about how, when talking to him, he would make you feel like the most important person in the world. I never had the chance to meet Mr. Beliveau, so I don't have any personal anecdote to offer, but having read articles and personal tributes about him does amplify how significant he was and how the (hockey) world lost a great man, both on and off the ice.

Rest in peace, Jean Beliveau.

Lineup Notables

Ottawa Senators vs. Boston Bruins

Ottawa: Milan Michalek (upper body) and Chris Neil (lower body) are out. Robin Lehner starts this afternoon.
Boston: Marc Savard (concussion), Simon Gagne (personal) and Adam McQuaid (broken thumb) are out while David Krejci (hip) is questionable. Tuukka Rask might start.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Detroit: Justin Abdelkader (shoulder), Stephan Weiss (shoulder), and Jonas Gustavsson (shoulder) are out. Peter Mrazek will start.
Toronto: Leo Komarov (concussion) and Roman Polak (lower body) are out. Jonathan Bernier will be in net.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Winnipeg Jets

Anaheim: Corey Perry (knee), Dany Heatley (groin), Sheldon Souray (wrist), Francois Beauchemin (broken finger), and Eric Brewer (foot) are out. Fredrik Andersen might start.
Winnipeg: Grant Clitsome (lower body), Tobias Enstrom (lower body), and Zach Bogosian (lower body) are out. Michael Hutchinson is in net.

New York Rangers vs. Vancouver Canucks

New York R: Rangers are healthy. Henrik Lundqvist is expected to start.
Vancouver: Zach Kassian (finger), Shawn Matthias (head), and Dan Hamhuis (lower body) are out. Ryan Miller should be in net tonight.