Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) Honoured Members - Player Inductee - Jean Beliveau

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Player Inductees

Beliveau, Jean

Summary

  • Inducted 1972
  • Born 31 August 1931, Trois-Rivières, Quebec
  • Died 2 December 2014
  • Played 20 NHL seasons from 1950 to 1971

“Any parent could use Jean Beliveau as a pattern or role model. He provides hockey with a magnificent image. I couldn't speak more highly of anyone who has ever been associated with our game than I do of Jean.”

—NHL President Clarence Campbell

Biography

Beliveau, Jean

Jean Beliveau was one of the all-time classiest players in the NHL, both on the ice and off. He made his career as a strong skater and was all but impossible to slow down. Incredibly, he played on 10 Stanley Cup-winning teams as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

Born in Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Beliveau first played organized hockey in Victoriaville, Quebec. He later played junior as a member of the Quebec Citadelles and senior hockey for the Quebec Aces. The NHL Canadiens wanted the young Beliveau in their lineup, but he wasn't all that eager to play for them. But the Canadiens owned his rights, so he couldn't play for another professional team unless Montreal traded him. Since the Aces were an amateur team, there was no conflict with his staying there. Finally, Montreal purchased the entire Quebec Senior Hockey League, turned it professional and added Jean Beliveau to their roster. Without much choice in the matter, Beliveau signed on with the Canadiens in 1953 for a then unheard-of $100,000 contract over five years.

After playing a total of five regular season games in 1950-51 and 1952-53, he played another 18 seasons with Montreal, and in 10 of those he led the team as their captain. Beliveau made the NHL All-Star Team ten times, was the leading scorer of all-time for Montreal as well as the all-time leading scorer in Stanley Cup history. When he retired from the game, he said, "I made up my mind to offer my place to a younger player." He added: "It's hard, but I will play no more. I only hope that I have made a contribution to a great game. Hockey has been my life since the day my father gave me a pair of skates when I was five years old." In reverence to all that Beliveau gave to hockey, the Canadiens held Jean Beliveau Night at the Montreal Forum in March 1971. They also established the Jean Beliveau Fund for underprivileged children. For everyone who knew him, the fund was a very fitting way to say farewell to Beliveau, as he was considered by many to be a true role model for kids. Clarence Campbell, president of the NHL, said, "Any parent could use Jean Beliveau as a pattern or role model. He provides hockey with a magnificent image. I couldn't speak more highly of anyone who has ever been associated with our game than I do of Jean."

Jean Beliveau played 1,125 regular season NHL games, recording 507 goals and 1,219 points. He was a ten-time All-Star, led the league in scoring in 1955-56 and was the NHL's Hart Trophy recipient as the most valuable player in 1955-56 and 1963-64. On his way to the Stanley Cup, Jean was the inaugural winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP in 1965.

After retiring as a player, Beliveau served as a team executive for the Canadiens and official spokesperson for the club. Some observers noted that he'd been filling that latter position unofficially for years anyway. In 1972, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 1981, he was named to the Selection Committee of the Hall of Fame. Beliveau received an honorary degree in physical education from the University of Moncton, New Brunswick. He was also president of Jean Beliveau, Inc., a thriving business with varied interests in restaurants, real estate and other concerns.

Beliveau worked for the Canadiens in public relations until 1993 as Senior Vice-President of Corporate Affairs, but he maintained ambassadorial prestige with the team until his death on December 2, 2014. In 1994, he became the only NHL player to be offered the position of Governor General of Canada, but turned it down because the job would have taken too much time away from his family. Four years later, Romeo Leblanc, the Governor General, made Beliveau a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour.

Stats

Regular Season Playoffs
Season Club League GP G A TP PIM +/- GP G A TP PIM
1946-47 Victoriaville Panthers QIHA 30 47 21 68
1947-48 Victoriaville Tigers QJHL 42 46 21 67
1948-49 Victoriaville Tigers QJHL 42 48 27 75 54 4 4 2 6 2
1949-50 Quebec Citadelles QJHL 35 36 44 80 47 14 22 9 31 15
1950-51 Quebec Citadelles QJHL 46 61 63 124 120 22 23 31 54 76
1950-51 Quebec Aces QMHL 1 2 1 3 0
1950-51 Montreal Canadiens NHL 2 1 1 2 0
1951-52 Quebec Aces QMHL 59 45 38 83 88 15 14 10 24 14
1951-52 Quebec Aces Alx-Cup 5 9 2 11 6
1952-53 Quebec Aces QMHL 57 50 39 89 59 19 14 15 29 25
1952-53 Montreal Canadiens NHL 3 5 0 5 0
1953-54 Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 13 21 34 22 10 2 8 10 4
1954-55 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 37 36 73 58 12 6 7 13 18
1955-56 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 47 41 88 143 10 12 7 19 22
1956-57 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 33 51 84 105 10 6 6 12 15
1957-58 Montreal Canadiens NHL 55 27 32 59 93 10 4 8 12 10
1958-59 Montreal Canadiens NHL 64 45 46 91 67 3 1 4 5 4
1959-60 Montreal Canadiens NHL 60 34 40 74 57 8 5 2 7 6
1960-61 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 32 58 90 57 6 0 5 5 0
1961-62 Montreal Canadiens NHL 43 18 23 41 36 6 2 1 3 4
1962-63 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 18 49 67 68 5 2 1 3 2
1963-64 Montreal Canadiens NHL 68 28 50 78 42 5 2 0 2 18
1964-65 Montreal Canadiens NHL 58 20 23 43 76 13 8 8 16 34
1965-66 Montreal Canadiens NHL 67 29 48 77 50 10 5 5 10 6
1966-67 Montreal Canadiens NHL 53 12 26 38 22 10 6 5 11 26
1967-68 Montreal Canadiens NHL 59 31 37 68 28 +27 10 7 4 11 6
1968-69 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 33 49 82 55 +15 14 5 10 15 8
1969-70 Montreal Canadiens NHL 63 19 30 49 10 +1
1970-71 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 25 51 76 40 +24 20 6 16 22 28
NHL Totals 1125 507 712 1219 1029 162 79 97 176 211

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