Jean Béliveau: Hockey Legend

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Jean Béliveau scored his 500th goal on February 11, 1971.
Jean Béliveau with Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy, 1965.
1971 collectors card.

The hockey and sporting world is mourning the passing of Jean Béliveau (right: sitting in the locker room showing the puck that signified his 500th goal / Montreal Gazette), the legendary Montreal Canadiens centre who in his later life was revered as an ambassador of the game.

Béliveau — a key member of several Montreal hockey dynasties — died on December 2, 2014, at the age of 83.

As a player, the lanky Quebecer won the Stanley Cup ten times, and notched another seven cups as a hockey executive. Read the full biography of the man Canadiens fans affectionately called “Le Gros Bill.”

For a glimpse of what made Béliveau so great, watch this short video (segment on Béliveau begins at 4:20).

Here's Hockey! Directed by Leslie McFarlane (1953). National Film Board

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Here's Hockey! by Leslie McFarlane, National Film Board of Canada