‘I’m always drawn to Jean Béliveau,’ new Canadiens captain Pacioretty says
Pacioretty’s prepared statement to begin Friday’s news conference, in French, and everything he said off the cuff after that, was spot-on perfect — including his praise of the leadership of goalie Carey Price and that of three fellow alternate captains of last season.
Late last March, Pacioretty and I went to dinner in Nashville to speak broadly about his life on and off the ice, from hockey to family, about this unique market and the expectations of fans for those who play here.
We talked about the leadership role into which he had been nicely growing; Pacioretty had been carrying himself differently all season, from his availability to the media and shouldering of responsibility after games, to how he was taking criticism less to heart — and there was plenty from the usual sources — even to how he dressed, in sharper suits, and how he walked, shoulders back, eyes straight ahead.
“No disrespect to any of the legends on the walls, but I’m always drawn to Jean Béliveau,” Pacioretty said when I asked him which of the Canadiens Hall of Famers pictured above dressingroom benches meant the most to him.
“We have pictures throughout the practice rink and game rink, and when everything was going on after (Béliveau’s) passing, everyone talked about him in a certain way. People in the city have respect for him, but this was a whole other level. He’s the model captain for anyone who’d want to be a captain in this league, especially for the Canadiens.
“At the (Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation) golf tournament a few years ago, they rigged a draw so I would win a Jean Béliveau photo. When I saw it, I told them, ‘I want that one. No, I need that one.’ So I won it. It’s at home. I know exactly where it is. I’m never going to touch it. It’s amazing.
“His signature is perfect,” Pacioretty added, pausing almost breathtaken as he considered Béliveau’s legendary flowing-script autograph. “You can’t have any memorabilia that’s more precious than Mr. Béliveau’s.”
In 1961, Béliveau was voted captain of the Canadiens during training camp but was unable to start the season, coincidentally sidelined with a knee injury. Pacioretty, currently rehabbing a fractured left tibia that he suffered in July, hopes to be in the lineup for his team’s curtainraiser Oct. 7 in Toronto.
When we sat last March, Pacioretty had been hearing, in passing, his name among those being discussed for the captaincy.
“Obviously, it’s flattering,” he said. “But it’s just like anything else — you’re never as good or as bad as you think you are. It’s flattering but at the same time, it’s just outside noise. I care more about what my teammates, coaches and management think of me than what everyone else is saying. But it’s still nice to be thought of on that level.”
The esteem in which Pacioretty is held by his teammates was displayed Thursday in the ballot box.
If there were messages of congratulations on his phone from former captains of the Habs, he hadn’t seen them early Friday afternoon.
“I didn’t know,” the Canadiens new captain said with a grin, “that I had that many friends.”