Legend’s great story gets even better
MY LIFE IN HOCKEY - 2 Béliveau updates autobiography after some coaxing
MONTREAL •
To dispel a myth, forever-accommodating Canadiens legend Jean Béliveau can in fact say no.
It turns out that Béliveau was not an easy sell to bring his 1994 autobiography up to date. But after some gentle prodding by two eager publishers, and some quiet reflection on a decade that brought enormous changes to his own life and the game he loves, the Canadiens Hall of Famer decided he might have a few more words to say.
The result is the second edition of Jean Béliveau: My Life In Hockey
(Greystone Books, $24.95), a wealth of topical new thought for those who have read the original, and a revelation for those new to the title.
This is much more the story of challenges met and a life well lived than a typical sports autobiography. That’s to be expected, of course, because there’s never been a hockey arena that could contain Jean Béliveau’s remarkable life.
“ This is more than a book for my family,” said Béliveau, 74, who views the project as a time capsule and a grateful tribute to the many who have helped him choose his path.
He dedicates the memoir to his wife, Élise, daughter Hélène, and granddaughters Mylène and Magalie, all present at a launch of the new version yesterday.
The new first chapter describes in poignant detail Béliveau’s serving as a pallbearer for the May 2000 funeral of his brilliant teammate Maurice (Rocket) Richard, whom he succeeded as Canadiens captain.
It also covers Béliveau representing the NHL and the Canadiens at the 1986 funeral in Switzerland for trailblazing goalie Jacques Plante, and the final days of Montreal defenceman J.C. Tremblay, the friend who died of cancer shortly after appearing at the 1994 launch of this book’s first edition.
“ What I’ve learned, as I got a little older, is that my teammates are very important,” Béliveau said. “They always were important as a player, always were during my second career [as Canadiens senior vice-president of corporate affairs], and they still are today.
“If I’m here today, it’s because of them, too. I’ve learned that when you’re busy all your life, life is very short.”
Béliveau relates his feelings about the labour nonsense that cancelled the 2004- 05 NHL season, reiterating his strong proownership sentiments clearly expressed last autumn that drew a hasty rebuke from the NHL Players Association, a strategy that earned the NHLPA only ridicule.
He offers suggestions for an improved game, saying yesterday that he already likes what he sees in the “new” NHL, and discusses his decision of last winter to auction virtually all of his hockey memorabilia, a sale that raised nearly $ 1- million and produced a generous legacy for his daughter and granddaughters.
Between these mileposts, readers travel Béliveau’s journey from rural Quebec as a boy to the NHL and beyond. Hockey often is merely a backdrop for grander adventures and more dramatic moments, including his battle with throat cancer. Béliveau remains in remission almost 63 months since his last treatment.
My Life In Hockey
was only the second study of the game’s greatest ambassador. In 1970, a year before Béliveau’s retirement as a player, Université de Montréal professor Hugh Hood published Strength Down Centre: The Jean Béliveau Story.
“Hugh loved the game. He used to attend all our games, sometimes in the last row of the Forum,” Béliveau recalled. “ And he was fascinated by the faceoff.
“So one day, I told him, ‘Bring your skates.’ We went onto the Forum ice, and I asked an employee to be the referee. I told Hugh before we faced off against each other, ‘ I’m going to the net. I’m going left. Going right. Going back.’ He was fascinated by the speed of the blade of the stick.
“ That was a pretty good chapter.”
Now, Béliveau sets out on the road once more to promote his book, though not in the whirlwind fashion he did a decade ago.
“Maybe my wife is right when she says I have a funny retirement,” Béliveau said, smiling. “But I’ll be 75 next year, so I’m saying to the publishers, ‘ Not too much.’ ”