It is with great regret here at Last Word On Sports that we have learned that Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau has passed away. He was 83 years old.
Beliveau, or as he was affectionately known Le Gros Bill, played for the Montreal Canadiens for eighteen full seasons, with two call ups prior to breaking into the line up. The iconic number four had quite the career in Montreal, playing in 1,125 games and registered 507 goals with 1,219 points. He also won a staggering ten Stanley Cups with the Habs as a player, and seven more as a part of the Habs management, which is a record in the NHL. He played in 162 playoffs games and recorded 176 points.
Beliveau was tied with Saku Koivu for the longest tenured captain with ten seasons, and also holds the record for most Cups as a captain with five. He played in fourteen NHL All Star Games, is second all time in Canadiens history for assists and points, third in goals and games played. He also won the Art Ross Memorial Trophy (1956), Conn Smythe Trophy (1965), Hart Memorial Trophy(1956, 1964), and won the NHL Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 for his success in the league.
Beliveau was not only successful on the ice, but off the ice too. He has numerous honorary degrees and doctorates in his name from Canadian Universities, won the Loyola Medal in 1995, and was also named a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1988, and was made a Grand Officer in 2010. In 1998, Beliveau was named Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest civilian award in Canada, and has countless other awards and namesakes in honor of him. Needless to say, Beliveau was beloved by Montreal and Canada alike, and it showed.
Today we didn’t just lose a Montreal Canadiens legend, we lost a beautiful human being. A generous man who would walk the Earth for anybody. He has made many contributions to charities, made visits to sick children in hospitals, would stop what he was doing to brighten up anybody’s day, and just made the world a better place. He was at almost every Canadiens game, and could be seen talking to fans every time, telling them stories. Le Gros Bill was a huge part of not only the Canadiens history, but Montreal as a city history. He will be dearly missed.
Please join us in sending our condolences to the Beliveau family. R.I.P Jean.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @TylerLWOS. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo:
