Canadiens legend gets outpouring of affection

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This article was published 29/02/2012 (5307 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL — News that hockey great Jean Beliveau is hospitalized following a stroke has prompted an outpouring of affection and get-well wishes for the legendary centreman, beloved as much for his gracious personality as his graceful skating.

Memories of the gentlemanly team captain, whom Jean Chrétien once approached to be governor general, flooded onto Internet comment boards and Twitter.

The prime minister wished Beliveau well. So did the interim leader of the NDP, Nycole Turmel, and other opposition politicians.

“Mr. Beliveau is a great Canadian and a remarkable ambassador for our national sport,” Stephen Harper said in an emailed statement. “We wish him a speedy recovery.”

Beliveau, who won 10 Stanley Cups while playing with the Habs, was resting in a Montreal hospital on Tuesday.

Montreal Canadiens spokesman Donald Beauchamp said there had been no new developments since initial news of the stroke and that the family had requested privacy.

The team reported earlier Tuesday that the 80-year-old Hall of Famer was admitted to hospital after having the stroke Monday evening. The NHL team said Beliveau was being examined and undergoing treatment.

This was the second stroke suffered by Beliveau in as many years. He was also treated for cardiac problems in 1996, and in 2000 was diagnosed with a tumour on his neck. Beliveau underwent surgery last year to treat abdominal aneurysms.

Always hailed as a classy spokesman for the team and revered by fans, there is no question of the towering Beliveau’s impact on the sport.

Beliveau’s career began with short stints with the Habs for two consecutive years before he joined the team for good for the 1953-54 season. He had been such a coveted prospect that the Canadiens bought an entire league to gain his contractual rights.

He didn’t disappoint.

Beliveau’s rapid fire goal-scoring in a 1955 game against Boston, where he notched three into the net in 44 seconds, encouraged the NHL to overhaul its power-play rules.

In a change that stands to this day, the league decided to end minor penalties whenever the shorthanded team gave up a goal.

Beliveau retired in 1971 after playing his entire NHL career in Montreal.

— The Canadian Press