Winnipegger remembers Beliveau as gentleman, ambassador for NHL

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/12/2014 (4273 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

wfpvideo:3922366030001:wfpvideo

The hockey world lost a true gentleman with the death of Jean Beliveau, says former NHLer and Winnipeg native Ab McDonald.

“It’s a sad, sad time for any of us who played with him, and probably even anyone who played against him,” said McDonald, speaking to the Free Press this morning.

He won three Cups with Beliveau from 1958-60.

“He was a great hockey player and an even greater gentleman. You hate to lose anyone like that,” added McDonald.

McDonald dressed for two playoff games with the Canadiens when they won their third consecutive NHL championship in 1958, and was part of two more Stanley Cup triumphs before being traded to Chicago in the summer of 1960.

He said Beliveau’s skills were unrivalled in those days.

“He was something to watch, you know, so smooth, and he had all the abilities, shots and stick handling,” said McDonald. “He was a gentleman both on the ice and off the ice. You never got an elbow or a bad check from Jean, because he didn’t have to. He was that good a hockey player.

“He had such great moves, made great moves… it was a pleasure to play with him, there’s no doubt about that.”

“He was just an all-round great hockey player.”

McDonald said Beliveau was one of the game’s great ambassadors.

“I remember back when we went to the all-star game in 1991 in Chicago… we had an outdoor skate with the kids. We didn’t have our equipment or anything but a number of kids asked to go out and be on the ice. And (Jean) was out there just laughing and having fun and that’s the type of the guy he was. Guys like that are going to be missed,” McDonald recalled.

“He represented the game of hockey the way I like to see it played, with a finesse and whatever goes along with it.”

“Some of the plays he made, some of the goals he scored, he made it look so easy. That’s what stands out about the man, I mean he played the game when it was a tough game but he made it look easy. He was just effortless out there.”

McDonald played nearly 800 games for six different NHL clubs before joining the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association, and he’s credited with scoring the first regular-season goal in franchise history.

 

inayat.singh@freepress.mb.ca