By Rick Stephens, Editor-in-Chief, All Habs Hockey Magazine
MONTREAL, QC. — On Friday night, the city gets back to focusing on hockey as the Canadiens play just their second game this week against the Kings. It has been a difficult and emotional 10 days for the organization and the fans.
It was a challenge to explain to others — younger fans or those not familiar with the game — what Jean Beliveau meant to hockey and meant to us. It was even puzzling to understand why we were feeling so sad. Even for those of us who met him in person, he was someone who we mostly admired from afar.
Wednesday marked the final public goodbye to Mr. Beliveau as four former teammates and the Canadiens owner eulogized the legend during his funeral at Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral.
Dickie Moore was the first to speak, struggling at times to control his emotions and remain composed. Moore, known for his one-liners, temporarily lightened the mood saying, “What would you rather be, good or lucky? I was lucky. He was good.”
Moore added, “I will miss you Jean, a man I always looked up to. I’m only five-foot-10.”
Geoff Molson said what an owner should say. He challenged all to take the torch that Beliveau had carried for 60 years and “hold it high in his memory.” Serge Savard, delivered the least personal of all of the messages, primarily recounting Beliveau’s accomplishments.
Perhaps the most touching eulogy was given by Yvan Cournoyer saying, “This rose that I wear today, I will keep it for the rest of my life in your memory.”
Cournoyer invoked the words of poet Walt Whitman to finish his message saying, “Oh capitaine, mon capitaine, bon voyage!”
To borrow the words of Frank Cross (Bill Murray) in Scrooged, “Boy, that was very good!”
“But you know what? It wasn’t great. There’s only been one ‘great.'”
It’s true. The eulogies were good, but they were missing something. It was a strange thought I had while watching the funeral: the service was missing Jean Beliveau.
This is in no way meant to diminish any of the men who spoke, but there was no one who could command the same presence as Mr. Beliveau. And phrase words the way he did, in both languages.
There was one more former teammate who spoke whom I haven’t yet mentioned. Surely Ken Dryden would deliver something special.
The day after Beliveau’s passing, the Toronto Star published a beautifully-written recollection by Dryden titled, “An appreciation of Jean Béliveau.” The night before the funeral, Dryden read the same piece in a five minute segment on The National. For the eulogy, Dryden again read the now week-old Toronto Star article, it’s third public airing.
The day deserved something unique, something special.
Beliveau made each person he talked with feel special. When speaking with him, his attention was undivided. It didn’t seem rehearsed or repeated. Just genuine and sincere.
This day was missing a Jean Beliveau. In a cathedral filled with the legends of hockey, his passing had left a crater-sized hole.
Going forward, the Canadiens would be without their cornerstone, for the first time in 60 years.
In the opinion of one veteran hockey writer, “Beliveau was the greatest Hab of all.” Ken Campbell of the Hockey News wrote a book about the top 100 players to play for the Canadiens. While Campbell’s expert panel chose Rocket Richard as No. 1 all-time (with ‘Le Gros Bill’ finishing second), Campbell made a compelling argument for Beliveau.
And if one considers both the on- and off-ice contributions to the Canadiens organization and their significance, it is undoubtedly Beliveau.
There have been so many adjectives used to describe Jean Beliveau: classy, elegant, gracious, humble, sincere,.. Each one is accurate but somewhat inadequate. He had a remarkable career and an extraordinary life.
But if one were to use just two words to describe him and what he meant to the Canadiens and the hockey community, they would be: constant and singular.
Jean Beliveau was truly one of a kind. And his association with the Canadiens organization was invariable, as constant as the northern star for six decades.
Let’s be clear. I am not talking about an overt force involved in every decision. Instead Beliveau has been a subtle but powerful core element who has kept the organization grounded and helped to maintain stability. His presence has always been felt even when not acknowledged. Like gravity.
It is indeed an end of an era. The loss of this guiding light is profoundly sad.