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Jean Beliveau [/size]
Jean "Le Gros Bill" Beliveau was one of the all-time classiest players in the NHL, both on the ice and off. He made his career as a strong skater and was hard if not impossible to slow down. He was nicknamed after a popular French song of the day by the same name, "le Gros Bill," and in all he played on an incredible 10 Stanley Cup-winning teams as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
Born in Trois Rivieres, Quebec, in 1931, Beliveau first played organized hockey in Victoriaville, Quebec. He played junior hockey as a member of the Quebec City Citadelles and senior hockey for the Quebec Aces. The Canadiens wanted the young Beliveau in their lineup, but he wasn't all that eager to play for them.
But the Canadiens owned the rights to Beliveau, so he couldn't play for another pro team unless Montreal traded him. Since the Aces were an amateur team, there was no conflict with his staying there. Finally, Montreal purchased the entire Quebec Senior Hockey League, turned it pro and added Jean Beliveau to their roster. Without much choice in the matter, Beliveau signed on with the Canadiens in 1953 for a then unheard-of $100,000 contract over five years.
Beliveau made the All-Star Team 10 times, was the leading scorer of all time for Montreal and the all-time leading scorer in Stanley Cup history as well. After playing a total of five regular season games in 1950-51 and 1952-53, he played another 18 seasons with Montreal, and in 10 of those he led the team as their captain.
When he retired from the game, Beliveau said, "I made up my mind to offer my place to a younger player." He added: "It's hard, but I will play no more. I only hope that I have made a contribution to a great game. Hockey has been my life since the day my father gave me a pair of skates when I was five years old." In reverence to all that Beliveau gave to hockey, the Canadiens held Jean Beliveau Night at the Montreal Forum in March 1971. They also established the Jean Beliveau Fund for underprivileged kids.
For everyone who knew him, the fund was a very fitting way to say farewell to Beliveau, as he was considered by many to be a true role model for kids. Clarence Campbell, president of the NHL, said: "Any parent could use Jean Beliveau as a pattern or role model. He provides hockey with a magnificent image. I couldn't speak more highly of anyone who has ever been associated with our game than I do of Jean."
Beliveau served as a team executive for the Canadiens and official spokesperson for the club. Some observers noted that he'd been filling that latter position unofficially for years anyway. In 1981 he was also named to the selection committee of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Beliveau received an honourary degree in physical education from the University of Moncton, New Brunswick. He was also president of Jean Beliveau, Inc., a thriving business with varied interests in restaurants, real estate and other concerns.
Beliveau worked for the Canadiens in public relations until 1993 as senior vice-president of corporate affairs but he maintained ambassadorial prestige with the team even to this day. In 1994 he became the only NHL player to be offered the position of Governor General of Canada, but Beliveau turned it down because the job would have taken too much time away from his family.
REGULAR SEASON PLAYOFFS
Season Club League GP G A TP PIM +/- GP G A TP PIM
1946-47 Victoriaville Panthers QIHA 30 47 21 68
1947-48 Victoriaville Tigers QJHL 42 46 21 67
1948-49 Victoriaville Tigers QJHL 42 48 27 75 54 4 4 2 6 2
1949-50 Quebec Citadelles QJHL 35 36 44 80 47 14 22 9 31 15
1950-51 Quebec Citadelles QJHL 46 61 63 124 120 22 23 31 54 76
1950-51 Quebec Aces QMHL 1 2 1 3 0
1950-51 Montreal Canadiens NHL 2 1 1 2 0
1951-52 Quebec Aces QMHL 59 45 38 83 88 15 14 10 24 14
1951-52 Quebec Aces Alx-Cup 5 9 2 11 6
1952-53 Quebec Aces QMHL 57 50 39 89 59 19 14 15 29 25
1952-53 Montreal Canadiens NHL 3 5 0 5 0
1953-54 Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 13 21 34 22 10 2 8 10 4
1954-55 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 37 36 73 58 12 6 7 13 18
1955-56 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 47 41 88 143 10 12 7 19 22
1956-57 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 33 51 84 105 10 6 6 12 15
1957-58 Montreal Canadiens NHL 55 27 32 59 93 10 4 8 12 10
1958-59 Montreal Canadiens NHL 64 45 46 91 67 3 1 4 5 4
1959-60 Montreal Canadiens NHL 60 34 40 74 57 8 5 2 7 6
1960-61 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 32 58 90 57 6 0 5 5 0
1961-62 Montreal Canadiens NHL 43 18 23 41 36 6 2 1 3 4
1962-63 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 18 49 67 68 5 2 1 3 2
1963-64 Montreal Canadiens NHL 68 28 50 78 42 5 2 0 2 18
1964-65 Montreal Canadiens NHL 58 20 23 43 76 13 8 8 16 34
1965-66 Montreal Canadiens NHL 67 29 48 77 50 10 5 5 10 6
1966-67 Montreal Canadiens NHL 53 12 26 38 22 10 6 5 11 26
1967-68 Montreal Canadiens NHL 59 31 37 68 28 +27 10 7 4 11 6
1968-69 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 33 49 82 55 +15 14 5 10 15 8
1969-70 Montreal Canadiens NHL 63 19 30 49 10 +1
1970-71 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 25 51 76 40 +24 20 6 16 22 28
NHL Totals 1125 507 712 1219 1029 162 79 97 176 211
Michis Nick-Vater
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Bobby Hull [/size]
Few of the game's superstars could match the physical talents of Bobby Hull. The Golden Jet combined speed, a feared slapshot and a powerful physique to rise to the elite of the NHL in the 1960s. Depending on the source, his shot was timed at approximately 120 miles per hour. His powerful legs never stopped moving and his muscular upper body enabled him to handle the rough side of the game. Hull was a legend in Chicago and later enjoyed success in the World Hockey Association and on the international stage while representing Canada.
Hull grew up on a farm near Belleville, Ontario, two hours east of Toronto. From a young age it was apparent that his raw talent was exceptional. He moved rapidly through the minor hockey system and was signed by the Chicago Black Hawks organization. As a 15-year-old, he played a handful of games with the Galt Black Hawks of the OHA and didn't look out of place.
The Hawks next moved Hull up to the main junior affiliate, the OHA's St. Catharines Teepees. During his second year, in 1956-57, Hull scored 16 points in 13 playoff matches for the Garden City team. A few months later, he put two pucks past New York Rangers goalie Gump Worsley in a pre-season game to launch one of the greatest of NHL careers.
Hull's highly anticipated regular-season debut came in 1957-58. He didn't disappoint the Hawks' fans and brass and turned in a fine 47-point effort that year to finish runner-up to Toronto's Frank Mahovlich in the Calder Trophy voting at the end of the season. Hull improved by three points in his sophomore year before breaking out in 1959-60 with a league-high 39 goals and 81 points. Teamed with Bill Hay and Murray Balfour on the Million Dollar Line, Hull won the Art Ross Trophy and earned a place on the NHL First All-Star Team.
More important, the young star helped resurrect the fortunes of a struggling franchise. Prior to his arrival, Chicago had missed the playoffs 11 out of the previous 12 seasons. The atmosphere around the organization was dismal and the once proud fans stayed away in droves. Hull's arrival along with Stan Mikita helped rekindle the spark within the franchise and raised the team's profile among the sports fans of the Windy City.
Together with teammate Mikita, Hull developed the curved hockey stick, which gave the shooter more velocity and caused the puck to move differently at times. And what goalies throughout the league didn't need was the most feared shot in the NHL behaving like a curve ball.
The 1960-61 regular season was somewhat of a letdown for Hull individually, but in the post-season he scored 14 points in 12 games as Chicago won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1938. The next year he became the third player in league history to score 50 goals in a season.
In 1964-65, despite missing nine games due to injury, the Golden Jet scored 39 goals and helped Chicago reach the Stanley Cup finals, where they lost out to Montreal. At season's end he was awarded the Hart and Lady Byng trophies. The following season he set an NHL record with 54 goals and repeated as the Hart Trophy winner.
In 1966-67, Hull's 52 goals helped Chicago win its first regular-season championship since coach Pete Muldoon cursed the team after he was fired in 1938. Their march to the Stanley Cup was cut short in the semifinals by the Toronto Maple Leafs under Punch Imlach.
Hull scored 44 goals during the first expansion season, then followed up with a record-breaking performance in 1968-69. His 58 goals set a single-season record that fans thought would last many years. As it turned out, Boston's Phil Esposito hit the back of the net 76 times two years later. In January 1970, Hull was named by the Associated Press as the top NHL player of the 1960s.
While Esposito was leading the Bruins through a magical regular season in 1970-71, the Hawks were led by Hull's 44 goals and captured the West Division crown. On February 14, 1971, he scored twice against the Vancouver Canucks to surpass Maurice Richard for second place on the NHL's all-time goal-scoring list. Hull then embarked on the most productive post-season of his career with 11 goals and 25 points in 18 games as Chicago came within one period of winning the Stanley Cup. Leading 2-1 late in the second period of game seven, the Hawks couldn't hold the lead and lost 3-2 in front of a disappointed home crowd. One of the indelible images of this final game was the Habs' lanky netminder, Ken Dryden, using his long reach to foil a sure goal by Hull.
In 1971-72, Hull hit the 50-goal mark for the fifth time in his career, playing with Pit Martin and Chico Maki. At this stage of his career, many observers noted that he was playing his most well-rounded hockey ever. Ironically, this complete version of Bobby Hull was the last NHL fans would see of him for several years.
In February 1972, an ominous event in the form of the World Hockey Association General Player Draft took place. The Winnipeg Jets selected Hull and a few months later shocked the hockey world by signing him to the first $1 million contract in hockey history.
This turn of events was the major coup needed by the WHA to legitimize itself. The NHL was bitter and exacted revenge on the Golden Jet by blocking his participation on behalf of Canada in the 1972 Summit Series versus the Soviets. When Hull left the NHL, his 604 goals ranked him second in league history to Gordie Howe.
Overall, Hull's play in the Manitoba capital helped the Jets become a major success in the new league, but the adjustment took its toll as he developed ulcers in response to the stress of playing several games on consecutive nights under conditions that were quite poor compared to the NHL.
Hull soon formed one of the top forward lines anywhere in the world with Swedes Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson. The 1974-75 season was particularly special as he finally had a chance to compete against the Soviets in the second Canada-USSR series at the start of the year. He also went on to score 77 goals for Winnipeg in the regular season to establish a new record for a professional league. Hull's play was an integral part of the Jets' Avco Cup wins in 1976, 1978 and 1979. In 1973 and 1975 he was chosen the most valuable player in the WHA.
Prior to the 1976-77 WHA season, Hull was allowed to compete for his country in the inaugural Canada Cup tournament. He was Canada's top-scoring forward and consistently dished out punishing yet clean bodychecks. If this tournament was the highlight of Bobby Orr's career, it was also unquestionably Hull's one chance to shine in a competition featuring the top players from around the globe.
Following the NHL/WHA merger in 1979, Hull remained with the Jets for 18 games in the 1979-80 season before a trade brought him to the Hartford Whalers to play alongside Gordie Howe. He retired after that season with 610 goals in 1,063 regular-season games. Hull took his place in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 along with old teammate Stan Mikita. Following his career, he worked full-time in the cattle ranching business, a field in which he had a lifetime of experience.
REGULAR SEASON PLAYOFFS
Season Club League GP G A TP PIM +/- GP G A TP PIM
1954-55 Woodstock Athletics OHA-B
1954-55 Galt Black Hawks OHA-Jr. 6 0 0 0 0
1955-56 St. Catharines Teepees OHA-Jr. 48 11 7 18 79 6 0 2 2 9
1956-57 St. Catharines Teepees OHA-Jr. 52 33 28 61 95 13 8 8 16 24
1957-58 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 13 34 47 62
1958-59 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 18 32 50 50 6 1 1 2 2
1959-60 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 39 42 81 68 3 1 0 1 2
1960-61 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 67 31 25 56 43 12 4 10 14 4
1961-62 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 50 34 84 35 12 8 6 14 12
1962-63 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 65 31 31 62 27 5 8 2 10 4
1963-64 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 43 44 87 50 7 2 5 7 2
1964-65 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 61 39 32 71 32 14 10 7 17 27
1965-66 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 65 54 43 97 70 6 2 2 4 10
1966-67 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 66 52 28 80 52 6 4 2 6 0
1967-68 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 71 44 31 75 39 +14 11 4 6 10 15
1968-69 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 74 58 49 107 48 -7
1969-70 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 61 38 29 67 8 +20 8 3 8 11 2
1970-71 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 78 44 52 96 32 +34 18 11 14 25 16
1971-72 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 78 50 43 93 24 +54 8 4 4 8 6
1972-73 Winnipeg Jets WHA 63 51 52 103 37 14 9 16 25 16
1973-74 Winnipeg Jets WHA 75 53 42 95 38 4 1 1 2 4
1974-75 Canada Summit-74 8 7 2 9 0
1974-75 Winnipeg Jets WHA 78 77 65 142 41
1975-76 Winnipeg Jets WHA 80 53 70 123 30 13 12 8 20 4
1976-77 Canada Can-Cup 7 5 3 8 2
1976-77 Winnipeg Jets WHA 34 21 32 53 14 20 13 9 22 2
1977-78 Winnipeg Jets WHA 77 46 71 117 23 9 8 3 11 12
1978-79 Winnipeg Jets WHA 4 2 3 5 0
1979-80 Winnipeg Jets NHL 18 4 6 10 0 -7
1979-80 Hartford Whalers NHL 9 2 5 7 0 -3 3 0 0 0 0
1980-81
1981-82 New York Rangers DN-Cup 4 1 1 2 0
NHL Totals 1063 610 560 1170 640 119 62 67 129 102
