Jean Beliveau A touch of class

On a beautiful fall walk through Longueuil, Quebec, just across the Jacques Cartier Bridge from Montreal, I stumbled upon the grave of the greatest Montreal Canadien—both on and off the ice—Jean Béliveau, #4. He rests in a small, historic Catholic cemetery, Cimetiėre Saint-Antoine-de-Palouse, just a short distance from the city that was the heart of his remarkable career.

Jean Béliveau played 20 seasons—all with the Montreal Canadiens—between 1950 and 1971. Over his career, he won 10 Stanley Cups as a player and added 7 more as a Canadiens executive, cementing his place in hockey history.

Upon his retirement in 1971, Béliveau was his team’s all-time leader in points, second in goals (507), and the NHL’s all-time leading playoff scorer. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame the very next year, a fitting recognition of his incredible contributions to the sport.

Beyond his athletic achievements, Jean Béliveau was a man of immense character. In the early 1990s, he turned down offers from Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney for a Senate appointment—not once, but twice. Later, in 1994, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien offered him the post of Governor General, which Béliveau graciously declined, choosing to remain out of politics.

Jean Béliveau passed away on December 2, 2014, at the age of 83 in Longueuil, leaving behind a legacy that transcended the rink and continues to inspire.

The inscription at the bottom of Jean’s  gravestone reads as follows:

French to English-

“I have rejoined the ones I loved and I wait for the ones I love”.

1931-2014