He was drenched in sweat.
His sweater stuck to him, as his chest heaved from deep breaths.
The crowd roared, when he stepped onto the ice as he had so many times before.
He had been months away from celebrating his 40th birthday and had been convinced to stay on for one more season.
He was happy that he did… although he had nothing to prove.
He had already won an astounding nine Stanley Cups. He was a legend.
But winning doesn’t get old and he was seconds away from lifting Lord Stanley’s Mug once more.
But he couldn’t get ahead of himself… they had to fight to hold their slim lead.
He looked up at the clock
4
3
2
The hostile crowd at Chicago Stadium began to cheer for the winning team….and it wasn’t their beloved Black Hawks.
They were doing it out of respect for him.
As the clock finally hit zero, he was suddenly engulfed by his team.
They were happy to have won the game but also, they couldn’t be prouder of his moment.
His tenth Stanley Cup.
I’m Craig Baird and this is Canadian History Ehx.
This month, I am going back to hockey’s Original Six Era and today we begin the series which will showcase hockey stars that became icons with the classiest man to ever lace up skates.
This is the story of…. Jean Beliveau!
When Antoine Beliveau stepped off the ship in Port Royal, Nova Scotia, in 1642, he was looking to begin a new life in Acadia.
And he did just that because for the next century, the Beliveau family grew and prospered.
Their new home provided them with everything they needed since Antoine arrived.
But the eternal war between France and England had followed them and by 1755, they were pushed off their land when the Beliveau family refused to swear an oath to the British.
They were one of the thousands of families impacted by the Acadian Expulsion.
They didn’t want to return to France, which was a foreign land to them by then, so they settled in Boston.
Once again, the Beliveau line prospered.
By the mid-1800s, they longed to return and the French-speaking enclave in New Brunswick’s Madawaska Valley looked enticing.
But then the Quebec government made an offer they couldn’t refuse.
Francophones in the United States were given land grants to settle in the Saint-Gregoire area near Trois-Rivieres, so the family moved there instead.
The land was bountiful, and the Beliveau family thrived…. maybe almost too much.
By the start of the First World War, they had outgrown the land and four sons moved west where the government was practically giving away land to settlers.
Arthur Beliveau was in his teens when his brothers left.
He could have followed them, but his mother encouraged him to stay.
Every hockey fan owes her a debt of gratitude.
Arthur stayed behind, found work as an electrician, and met Lorette Dube.
Then on Aug. 31, 1931, the couple had their first child.
His name?
Joseph Arthur Jean Beliveau.
When his son was born Arthur Béliveau worked as an electrician, installing power lines for Shawinigan Water and Power.
That meant the family had to move several times over the first six years of Jean’s life as his father’s work required him to be in various communities in the region.
They finally settled in Victoriaville in 1937, and that’s when…. Jean received his first pair of skates.
(small beat)
He got to try them out almost immediately.
His father had built a rink in his backyard that quickly became a neighbourhood hub over the winter.
Every day, when he wasn’t at school or church, Jean went out to the rink to play hockey as much as he could.
When he came inside to eat, he kept his blades on so he could get back on the ice as quickly as possible.
When it snowed, he cleared the ice with a shovel.
If it was bitterly cold, he bundled up.
Hockey became life.
When he wasn’t playing, he turned on the radio to listen to the Montreal Canadiens games.
Every Saturday he dreamed of playing like his heroes Howie Morenz, Sylvio Mantha, and Albert “Battleship” Leduc.
But to become a professional player Jean Beliveau wouldn’t be joining a U7 or Tyke league.
His path wouldn’t be organized hockey where his development would be structured and encouraged.
Instead, his game would grow in backyard rinks, frozen ponds, and rivers with zero adult supervision.
Sometimes scores were kept, but usually it was just one long game with players changing sides regularly and everyone chasing the puck.
It was generally on-ice mayhem.
Equipment was basic.
Pads and helmets were non-existent.
Goalies wore no masks, and their pads were pillows or the Eaton’s catalogue.
This is how Jean played until he joined his first organized hockey team, L’Academie at the age of 12.
He very quickly became their star player.
By the age of 15, he was playing junior hockey with the Victoriaville Panthers.
But hockey wasn’t the only sport he excelled at.
It dominated his winters, but by spring he began to thaw out and by summer baseball reigned supreme.
His coach, John Nault, was known as Mr. Baseball in Victoriaville.
On one occasion he took Jean and four others across the US border to Boston’s Fenway Park.
It made a huge impact on young Jean’s life and years later he would tell stories about seeing baseball icon Ted Williams hammer a 400 feet homerun.
It wouldn’t be the last time he went to a game.
Much closer to home was Montreal, where the Royals played.
Although they were a minor league team, they had many future stars pass through, including Jackie Robinson.
I should note that if Jean ever saw baseball great, he didn’t remember it and didn’t mention it.
And he had all of the opportunities to do so because he was a good enough baseball player to be in the mix.
He was noticed and scouted by a team in Alabama who encouraged Jean to sign a contract which could have been a path to the Major Leagues.
Not surprisingly, his mother adamantly refused to allow this to happen so Jean turned his full attention to his first love much closer to home…. hockey.
In 1946, when Jean was still a teenager, he was noticed by the Victoriaville Tigers.
They were the senior level team made up of players who had played in leagues across Canada, and they invited Jean to practice with them.
One day after a practice, a man named Jack Toupin came up to Jean and told him he was good enough to be playing for the Trois-Rivieres Reds which was one of the Quebec Junior A League.
The man knew what he was talking about.
He was not only the coach of the Reds, but he was also a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Jack Toupin saw greatness in Jean Beliveau.
He was a big kid, with skill and endless potential so he offered him a tryout contract.
If he signed, Jean would be in the Maple Leaf’s hockey system.
It was a tough pill to swallow for the lifelong Montreal Canadiens fan but the idea of being an NHL player was very enticing, and he was ready to say yes.
This time it was his father who stood in his way.
Arthur wanted Jean to focus on school and go to college.
And in all fairness, it wasn’t a bad plan.
At the time, the NHL had only six teams and making the cut was extremely difficult.
If you made it, staying in the NHL was even tougher.
Plus, the pay was low, so the best players still sometimes worked in the offseason to make ends meet.
Having an education to fall back on was completely reasonable.
Plus, the Toronto Maple Leafs weren’t the only team taking notice of the budding superstar.
Little did Jean Beliveau know when he turned down the offer to play in Trois Rivieres, that a minor league goaltender’s wedding would have an impact on his life.
Paul Gibault was marrying Evelyn Selke, the daughter of Montreal Canadiens general manager Frank Selke.
Among the guests at the wedding was Victoriaville Tigres coach Roland Hebert.
He and Selke began to talk shop, and he said there was a big kid with the Victoriaville Panthers who dominated in every game he played.
Selke’s ears perked up and a while later as Jean walked home from baseball, two men approached him.
One spoke English, while the other translated that they worked for the Montreal Canadiens.
Jean was in shock.
The three sat down at a snack bar nearby to talk.
They pulled out 100 dollars in 10-dollar bills and put them on the table and said that if Jean signed a C Form with the Montreal Canadiens, he could take the money.
His signature would put Jean into the Canadiens pipeline.
Unsure of what to do, Jean kept asking questions.
Each question was followed by a new $10 bill on the pile.
Eventually, there was $200 in front of him and even though that’s a lot of money for a 16-year-old, Jean told them they needed to talk to his father.
When the two men arrived a few days later at the Beliveau home, there was someone else with them to try and sweeten the deal.
Emile “Butch” Bouchard was the current captain of The Montreal Canadiens, and he would go on to be a Hall of Famer, but he did little to convince Jean’s father.
Arthur was firm.
His son would not sign any contract that could limit his options and have a team control his life.
Eventually, the two parties agreed that Jean would only sign a B-form which allowed him to report for training camp and required him signing with the Canadiens if he ever went professional.
But before that he was a free agent and able to forge his own path.
Jean signed and began the 1948-49 season with the Victoriaville Tigres where he was paid $15 a week.
By Christmas he was making $35 thanks in part to the game on Nov. 25, 1948, when the Tigres took on the powerful Quebec Citadels.
They sat at the top of their division and in that game, Jean had two goals and an assist, to help secure a Tigres win.
That night Jean scored on a young man wearing a toque who would eventually become Jean’s teammate.
His name is Jacques Plante, and I’ll be covering his story next week, so be sure to listen.
In the meantime, Jean played for the Victoriaville Tigres and kept busy by going to school from 8-4 every weekday and had to be at hockey practice at 4:30pm
Which was a bit of a problem for weeknight games because Monday to Thursday, he was supposed to be in study hall from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. so on those days Jean walked into study hall, showed his hockey pass, yes, an actual hockey pass, and then left for the game.
Despite that hectic schedule, Jean finished his first season leading the league with 48 goals in 35 games.
Only one player was ahead of him, Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion from the Laval Nationale.
He would also be a future teammate.
Meanwhile, Jean won the Rookie of the Year Award and The Most Promising Professional Prospect Award.
The Tigres also made the playoffs but lost in the first round.
From the outside it looked like things were going well but Jean struggled with a bad case of homesickness.
In his autobiography, My Life in Hockey, he wrote.
“I was lonely, making a difficult adjustment to life away from home and family. I couldn’t continue my high school studies in the technical course I’d begun in Victoriaville because the hockey schedule placed far too many demands on my time. I felt isolated and my natural shyness inhibited me from meeting people my own age outside the rink.”
Before the next season, with the Tigres Jean reported for his first training camp with the Montreal Canadiens.
After the training camp, he moved up to play for the Quebec Citadelles and joined Jacques Plante on the team.
As part of his contract, the 18-year-old Jean was given a public relations position at the Laval Dairy making $3,000 a year.
He also earned $6,000 a year with the team.
Today, his income would equate to $122,000.
His decision to remain with Quebec benefited him another way.
He went out with friends for dinner and one of them introduced him to a young woman named Elsie Couture.
Unlike everyone around him, she knew nothing about hockey and didn’t know who he was.
As the season went on, the two spent increasingly more time together.
As love bloomed off the ice, at the rink he became known as Le Gros Bill, or Big Bill in English.
The nickname came from a 1949 film of the same name starring Yves Henry because many felt that the actor and hockey player shared a striking resemblance.
In December 1950, along with playing for the Citadelles, Jean played a game with the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Senior Hockey League or QSHL,
He also had his NHL debut when he played two games for the Canadiens in which he recorded two points.
This didn’t mean he had gone pro.
Under the lend-lease agreement between the junior league and the Canadiens, a player like Jean could be called up for a maximum of three games.
At the end of the 1950-51 season with the Citadelles, Jean had 61 goals and 63 assists to set a then junior hockey record for total points.
During the playoffs, Jean got word that the Citadelles wanted to honour his loyalty and performance.
He agreed, believing they were going to present him with a nice watch, while he sat through a few speeches.
On April 10, 1951, he was presented with a brand-new 1951 Nash Canadian Statesman de Luxe car.
Heading into the next 1951-52 hockey season, Beliveau had a choice to make about his future.
While Montreal fans had their fingers crossed, he would finally make the jump to the pros, Jean had other ideas.
Fans in Montreal were chomping at a chance of getting the up-and-coming star.
His junior rivals, Dickie Moore, and Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion had already joined the Canadiens in 1951-52, and fans dreamed of what a line of Moore-Beliveau-Geoffrion could accomplish.
Jean would disappoint them because instead of going pro he went to the Quebec Aces from the QSHL.
Let’s be clear, Jean was more than ready for the NHL.
His skills were off the charts, but his loyalty was still strong to Quebec City and wrote in his autobiography that he was barely 20 years old, and Quebec City had come to feel like home.
But the Canadiens wouldn’t be denied that easily.
The team urged the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association to create what became known as The Beliveau Rule which stipulated that any player whose name was on an NHL team’s negotiating list, and wanted to play in the QSHL, had to sign with the NHL team first.
That meant the player could play in the QSHL, but only if the NHL team agreed, otherwise it was on to the pros.
In the end, the ratification of the rule didn’t go through, and Jean was free to play with the Aces.
To be honest, Jean had little incentive to go pro.
He was making bank with the Aces.
In his first season, during 1951-52, he received $10,000.
After winning the league scoring title, the Aces upped his pay to $20,000.
This made Jean the highest paid hockey player in the world.
He won a second scoring title in 1952-53, while the Aces enjoyed record attendance as people came out to see the scoring phenom.
Meanwhile Montreal fans watched and were green with envy.
Things were reaching a fever pitch.
Rumours swirled that Jean was not going to sign with the Canadiens by Aug. 31, which meant his rights could be claimed by the league-worst New York Rangers.
Others speculated a trade to another team like Chicago.
But Jean had already made the decision.
He would move up to the Canadiens for the 1953-54 NHL season, except he forgot to tell Canadiens GM Frank Selke t.
Selke was tired of waiting for his new star to join the team and under their contract with Jean, if he went pro it HAD to be with the Canadiens.
As rumours swirled into chaos Jean was away on his honeymoon, so the Montreal Canadiens bought the entire Quebec Senior Hockey League and turned it professional.
Think about that for a second.
To force one player to finally go pro, the Canadiens bought an entire league.
The price may have been high, but it would prove to be worth it almost immediately.
Jean Beliveau officially became a Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 3, 1953.
As cameras flashed, Frank Selke stood next to his greatest acquisition with a big smile on his face.
On the other side was Canadiens’ coach Dick Irvin.
Jean had reasons to smile as well.
His first contract was for a staggering $105,000 over five years.
Adjusted for inflation, which is $1.2 million today.
At the same time, he was hired by Molson at $10,000 a year, with full benefits.
It wasn’t a fake job either he was a full-time employee.
He went to work everyday at the Molson office and rose through the ranks until he became the sports promotions director.
The job lasted longer than his hockey career because he was with the company for the next 17 years.
Meanwhile, as the season opener fast approached, Jean suited up.
His first official game with the Canadiens, was going to be a big one.
Over 14,000 people filled the Montreal Forum to see the defending champion Montreal Canadiens take to the ice against the All-Stars.
That’s because from 1947 to 1965, it was tradition for the reigning Stanley Cup team to play a team made up of the best players in the NHL.
It would be a baptism by fire for Jean, as Montreal lost 3-1.
But it wasn’t all bad because Jean recorded an assist on a Maurice Richard goal.
That’s right, the young rookie was on the same team as the Rocket.
And he wasn’t the only legend.
The team was so stacked that there were nine future Hall of Famers on it aside from Jean.
Fun fact, his teammates included Lorne Davis, who later became a celebrated scout with the Edmonton Oilers.
And this is where I enter the story because back when I was the City Hall Reporter with the Regina Leader-Post, I worked with his grandson Austin.
For what it’s worth, Jean’s first season left a lot to be desired.
Canadien fans must’ve felt devastated when Jean fractured his ankle midway through the season forcing him to miss 29 games and only score 34 goals in 44 games.
It would be the lowest scoring average in his career.
As much as fans would have to wait to see the young star’s potential, they were happy when The Canadiens finished second behind the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings.
The team made the Stanley Cup Final once again but lost in overtime in Game Seven Jean would have to wait until the 1954-55 season to prove naysayers wrong.
And he did when he scored 73 points in 70 games and finished third in league scoring behind his teammates Bernie Geoffrion and Maurice Richard.
Once again, Detroit and Montreal met in the Final,
It felt like deja-vu, because the Red Wings once again beat the Canadiens in overtime in game seven.
Despite the disappointing finish Jean became one of the most famous men in Canada. Jean said,
“Every week, or so it seemed, a newspaper or pictorial magazine was knocking on the door, seeking fresh insight into the lives of the Beliveaus.”
The fame came at a price.
During the 1955-56 season, Jean had to deal with a rumour saying that his marriage to Elise was in trouble.
Elise was traveling to Quebec City by herself more often, and reporters claimed she was having an affair to get back at Jean, who they believed was also having affairs.
None of this was true.
Elise was traveling to Quebec City more frequently to care for her ailing mother.
When she wasn’t in Quebec, she was hounded at home by a woman who frequently called the Beliveau home claiming Jean was unfaithful.
One day she called and spoke.
“You think you’re so smart Madame Beliveau, but you should see where your husband is right now.”
Elise looked over to see her husband Jean sitting in his chair reading and told the woman she was a liar.
The woman never called back again.
The media attention was a nuisance but the constant spotlight on his personal life did nothing to hurt Jean’s on-ice performance.
From 1955-56 to 1959-60, he led the league in goals twice and captured the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer once in 1955-56.
He also won a Hart Trophy as league MVP that same season.
Jean’s teammate Dollard St. Laurent said,
“There ought to be two leagues. One for the pros, and one for Beliveau.”
Conn Smythe, was the owner of the Maple Leafs and he was also impressed even though he would rather have a root canal than praise the Montreal Canadiens
But even he couldn’t hide his admiration of Jean Beliveau. quote
“Beliveau is the greatest thing that could have happened to the modern game. They say there’s no room left for stick handling and brains and techniques. When has there ever been a better stick handler? Who has ever shown more savvy? Who ever got a shot away faster.”
Despite the praise Jean remained humble
When asked about his on-ice heroics, Jean said that the quality of the team around him is what made him great.
And he wasn’t entirely wrong.
During his time on the team the Canadiens won an incredible five straight Stanley Cups, a record that has never been beaten.
Given how many teams there are in the league now, it is likely no team will ever do it.
That historic run came to an end after the 1959-60 in part because team captain Maurice Richard retired.
The position was filled by Doug Harvey for one year until he was traded.
Then a few names were floated to fill the captain’s seat, but Jean never considered himself a front runner.
On Oct. 11, 1961, the Montreal Canadiens were called to the Forum by their coach Toe Blake.
Each player had to write down who they wanted as captain.
Jean voted for Dickie Moore. While he loved Geoffrion like a brother, he didn’t believe he had the seriousness needed to be a captain.
When the votes were counted Jean Beliveau was captain…
He would remain the team leader for the rest of his career and became the longest running captain in The Canadien’s history until Saku Koivu matched his 10-year stretch.
But that journey as captain began on bumpy road.
Weeks before he was voted into the position, the Canadiens had been in Victoria, BC training.
The plan was for the team to barnstorm their way against local teams in exhibition games on their way back home.
While in Trail, BC, Jean became sick with the flu and was running a high fever.
He knew many would be coming out to see him play and he didn’t want to disappoint them.
He took to the ice but in his second shift he collided with a Trail defenceman and fell hard into the boards.
The collision tore half the ligaments in his knee, which quickly put a damper over his season.
Jean played only 43 games and scored only 41 points.
Injuries then became a constant companion for Jean.
During the 1962-63 playoffs, the Canadiens played the Chicago Black Hawks in the semi-final and in that series, Jean went into the corner to get the puck and then everything went black.
Chicago defenceman Jack Evans had charged into Jean and sent him head-first into the boards.
Jean was diagnosed with a minor concussion, but the effects lasted throughout the summer.
As training camp approached, he went in to see a doctor. He believed his skull had been fractured.
After several tests, the doctors diagnosed him as fine and ready to play hockey.
Jean said,
“I didn’t feel fine, however. My game was off, well into the following season.”
Up until recently there were no concussion protocols.
Players were often expected to power through injuries.
During Jean’s time, with only six teams in the league, he worried that if he didn’t play through injuries, he could easily be replaced.
Most players who took a hit to the head would go to the dressing room briefly, but they came back to the ice soon after.
There was another problem. Players were worried about appearing “soft” or “weak” in front of others. Not playing because they hit their head could attract ridicule.
This was the world Jean Beliveau played in, and why even the best hockey players in the world battled through injuries and didn’t get the proper treatments that they needed.
Regardless of the pain and discomfort he felt physically Jean must’ve felt the sacrifice was worth it.
He had been sandwiched between two great Canadiens’ teams.
The end of the 1950s dynasty that won five Stanley Cups in a row, and the beginning of the dynasty of the 1970s, that won four Cups in a row.
Despite winning five Stanley Cups from 1964 to 1969, this dynasty team is often overlooked by hockey historians.
Jean was part of that.
He put up excellent numbers, including 90 points in 1960-61.
In 1963-64, he won a second Hart Trophy as League MVP. A season later, he won the first Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP.
But the injuries were catching up to him.
By the end of the 1969-70 season, Jean was having thoughts of retirement, but General Manager Sam Pollock convinced him to play one more season.
They needed a leader that could take the Canadiens through the 1970s.
Jean agreed and in 1970-71, he recorded 76 points in 70 games and won his 10th Stanley Cup with the team.
Then… he hung up his skates…. sort of.
As soon as he retired his old teammate Jacques Plante came knocking.
He was now the General Manager of the Quebec Nordiques of the World Hockey Association, and he wanted Jean to play in the new league and offered him a four-year deal, which paid out millions of dollars even if he only played one season.
Jean said,
“I wasn’t under the illusion that they wanted me for my playing skills. They wanted the name Beliveau on the marquee and on the front page of the season-ticket subscription forms.”
He told them that they could offer him $20 million, and it didn’t matter and said,
“If I wanted to play again, I’d play with the Canadiens. It wouldn’t be fair to you, the fans or me.”
He didn’t need the glory, which would come almost immediately.
On Oct. 9, 1971, his #4 was retired by the Canadiens.
The following year, the Hockey Hall of Fame waived its mandatory three year waiting period and inducted Jean.
His playing days were over, but Jean did not leave the Canadiens who named him vice president and director of public relations, and he remained with the team from 1971 to 1993 and added another seven Stanley Cups to his resume.
In 1993, after the Canadiens won their 24th Stanley Cup, Jean Beliveau retired from hockey for good.
He had spent more than half his life with the Montreal Canadiens and no player, apart from Maurice Richard, has been more identified with the team than him.
The decision was not taken lightly, but he wanted to be there for his family.
Four years earlier in October 1989, his son-in-law Serge chose to end his own life.
He had been a 25-year veteran of the police force, and he left behind his wife Helene, and their two daughters Mylene and Magalie.
The police told Jean first, and he had to tell his daughter and grandchildren that Serge was gone.
Jean chose to put his family above everything.
When Prime Minister Brian Mulroney offered him an appointment to the Senate of Canada not once, but twice, Jean refused in 1994, new Prime Minister Jean Chretien was looking to appoint a new Governor General to replace the outgoing Ray Hnatsyshyn.
Media rumours swirled around him and Jean brushed each one off, stating he had no experience in politics.
Then, on Sept. 27, 1994, he was asked to have dinner with Jean Chretien where he was told that he was on a short list of those considered.
Jean Beliveau realized that if he took the position, it would keep him busy for the next four to five years. Once again, his biggest concern was his family.
He told the Prime Minister,
“Just the honour of being considered is very special to me, Mr. Prime Minister, but I will not be able to have you further my candidacy.”
And it was a good thing he remained close to home because by 1996, he was hospitalized with cardiac problems.
That same year, he was on hand for the last game at the Montreal Forum when the torch was passed among the seven living former Canadiens captains including himself.
Four years later, he was treated for a neck tumour but made a full recovery.
As the 21st Century dawned, Jean looked ahead at his remaining years and decided to help his family financially.
In 2005, he auctioned off his 1958-59 Stanley Cup ring, a replica of the Conn Smythe Trophy he won and his Hockey Hall of Fame induction ring for $1 million.
Then as he approached 90 years old, he had two strokes first in 2010 then2012.
He said of his near-death experience,
“I knocked on the door, but it seemed they weren’t ready for me.”
Two years later, on Dec. 2, 2014, Jean Beliveau was knocked down, and he didn’t get back up.
Jean Beliveau, one of the greatest hockey players to ever lace up skates, died.
Tributes for the hockey great poured in from across Canada and North America.
For two days, his body lay in state at the Bell Centre in Montreal as thousands of people filed through to pay their respects.
Guy Lafleur, the man who replaced Jean Beliveau as Montreal’s hockey star, was photographed kneeling at the casket to honour the man he idolized.
Elise Beliveau, Jean’s wife of over 60 years, met every one of the mourners personally as they passed by.
On Dec. 10, Beliveau’s funeral was broadcast across Canada and attended by three Prime Ministers, Jean Chretien, Brian Mulroney, and Stephen Harper, and one future Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
When the Montreal Canadiens took on the Vancouver Canucks soon after Jean’s death, his hockey sweater was draped over his usual seat at the arena.
A spotlight lit the empty seat throughout the game.
For the first time in living memory, the team did not report a sellout crowd.
One person was missing.
*sources*
- NHL: https://www.nhl.com/player/jean-beliveau-8445408
- Canadian Encyclopedia: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jean-beliveau
- Montreal Gazette: https://montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/montreal-canadiens/red-fisher-jean-beliveau-was-a-special-man-on-and-off-the-ice/
- Sportsnet: https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/jean-beliveau-a-legend-by-the-numbers/
- CBC: https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/jean-béliveau-nhl-legend-remembered-as-true-gentleman-1.2858446
- Canada’s History: https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/arts-culture-society/jean-beliveau-hockey-legend
- Macleans: https://macleans.ca/society/jean-beliveau/
- My Life in Hockey by Jean Beliveau
