On the anniversary of the passing of Le Gros Bill, I share my memories of a hockey legend and a Canadian icon.

JEAN BELIVEAU

Hockey lost its greatest ambassador six years ago today when Jean Beliveau passed away at 83 years of age. This date has a little bit of a Boston Bruins ‘May 10th’ feel to it. The Bruins greatest date in history, May 10, 1970, Bobby Orr scores, they win the Cup, and he flies through the air. Nine years later May 10, 1979 the Bruins are caught with too-many-men-on-the-ice vs Montreal, Lafleur scores on the power play, Montreal wins game seven goes to the final and wins the Cup. December 2, 1995 the most infamous moment in Montreal during a game with the Patrick Roy debacle vs Detroit which led to his subsequent trade and of course nineteen years later, December 2, 2014 when Le Gros Bill, Jean Beliveau passed away.

My late father used to always say my destiny as a hockey expert was predetermined given the same Priest who married Jean and his wife married my parents, five years apart. Fr. Leonard Murphy was his name. He was a dear friend of Jean’s and he presided over his wedding to Elise Couture on June 27, 1953 in Quebec City, Five years and a couple of weeks later on July 12, 1958 Fr. Murphy made the drive to Stoneham, Quebec the little village where my mother was from where he presided over the marriage of my parents. It is kinda cool.

No man in hockey, maybe in sports, carried himself in a statelier manner, whose walk and actions brought comparisons to royalty and whose kindness and generosity were unparalleled. All of this was of course fueled by his excellent play on the ice as one of the top players in NHL history one of the greatest captains in NHL history and the winningest person – ever – in Stanley Cup history. 17 times his name was engraved on the Cup. Ten as a player, seven as an executive, all with Montreal. The Habs have won 24 Stanley Cups. Jean Beliveau was a part of 17 of those! That’s unreal!

I will finish by saying this; I’ve wrote it before, said it before many times but for me and on today’s anniversary it bears repeating. I had the privilege, honour and pleasure of working many gigs with Jean. Radio, TV, public appearances, I did it all with him. Nothing, absolutely nothing will ever replace what he did for me in 2010 at Yvan Cournoyer’s golf tournament. Yvan ran his tourney for ten years. I attended nine of them, spoke at eight and was the emcee/auctioneer for six. The 2nd year I spoke at the event I decided to say a few words in French. I don’t speak the language, other than a phrase or two but I would write a few paragraphs, try and memorize them and say them at Yvan’s tourney. It became a regular part of my routine such as it was for this fabulous event. This particular year Yvan had an amazing turnout of former Habs. Among them sitting front and center was ‘Le Gros Bill’ Jean Beliveau. As I did my best to offer my thanks in French for the opportunity to yet again work this event for Yvan and Evelyn Cournoyer I saw the crowd so focused on me nodding in support as I made it through several sentences and upon completion, getting up out of his chair, walking over and shaking my hand on stage in front of everybody and thanking me for my efforts was……Jean Beliveau. I may as well have been floating in space. It’s one of the highlights of my life. All that because I tried a few sentences in French. There was no better than Monsieur Jean Beliveau.

Merci Jean pour tout ce que tu as fait pour les Canadiens de Montréal, le Canada et le sport du hockey.

God bless your memory my friend. Continue to rest in peace…

Liam Maguire

pics....my parents, Sarah and Pat Maguire with Jean.

-Doesn't get any better. With Yvan and Jean in Kars, Ontario at the RA, just down the road from where we lived. 1994.

My mother and I on the way back from Jean's wake in Montreal. 2014.