How good was Jean Beliveau in his last season? Could he continue to play?

[Eye of Ra]

Where Jean still a world class player the last season he played? Do you guys think he could have played even more seasons at a high level after the 70-71 season?

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[JackSlater]

Certainly seems that he was still elite. Tied for ninth in scoring, and with 6 Boston players ahead of him (and 1 tied) plus third in playoff scoring. Nothing I've seen indicates that his strong defensive game slipped much. There is also the video of him destroying Boston/Orr in game 2 of the Montreal-Boston series, for what that's worth. I would also guess that being huge with great hands and very good hockey sense would allow someone to age very gracefully for a long time, as seems to have been the case with Beliveau through 1971.



This is a full game from that season that I have not watched but could probably give some insights:

 

[JianYang]

Someone correct me if wrong but wasn't beliveau set to retire prior to this season, and the habs had to convince him to come back for one more year?

So beliveau was already overdue to retire in his mind, it seems.

I also wonder if he sticks around a bit longer if he is asked to go to the summit series.

 

[JackSlater]

Someone correct me if wrong but wasn't beliveau set to retire prior to this season, and the habs had to convince him to come back for one more year?

So beliveau was already overdue to retire in his mind, it seems.

I also wonder if he sticks around a bit longer if he is asked to go to the summit series.

They took a massive roster to the summit series and Eagleson has claimed that Beliveau could have played had he wanted even though he was retired, so I don't think there is any question he gets asked. I think I recall they even offered to have Beliveau involved with the coaching staff, which he refused. Even still Beliveau was around the team and went to Moscow.

 

[jigglysquishy]

Beliveau, Hull, and Howe would have been very interesting additions to the 72 team.

Imagine if Orr and Mikita are healthy too.

 

[Staniowski]

Beliveau, Hull, and Howe would have been very interesting additions to the 72 team.

Imagine if Orr and Mikita are healthy too.

Orr would've been the best addition, certainly.....followed by Hull.

I don't think Mikita had any significant injury...he was only invited to the team because Sanderson wasn't available.

It's really difficult to say with Howe, who had an injury, and Beliveau. They might not have gotten much ice time.

 

[Moose Head]

At the time they both retired, Beliveau was playing better than Howe and Howe played another few years, so yes, Beliveau could have played longer.

 

[57special]

At the time they both retired, Beliveau was playing better than Howe and Howe played another few years, so yes, Beliveau could have played longer.

Beliveau I was on a much better team, while Howe was unhappy on a dysfunctional Detroit.

Both were aging, and slowing. My earliest memories of watching Jean are somewhere around 65, and even then, his game wasn’t about speed, but near the end he was slow, though still effective, like Howe. I wa surprised to hear old timers say that #4 was fast when he was young player- a fast Beliveau would’ve been one hell of a player.

 

[Big Phil]

Someone correct me if wrong but wasn't beliveau set to retire prior to this season, and the habs had to convince him to come back for one more year?

So beliveau was already overdue to retire in his mind, it seems.

I also wonder if he sticks around a bit longer if he is asked to go to the summit series.

I think he could have fit in for the Summit Series. Then again, when a 41 year old is playing against 25 year old Russians it might look different. I know Frank Mahovlich seemed to get rattled by the Soviets as the series went on. He was 7 years younger than Beliveau. But if Beliveau was a 4th liner on the team I can see him sticking there and doing well. How he does with the bigger ice in Moscow is a question though. But then again, Howe did well in 1974, so I would think Beliveau at the very least is serviceable on the 1972 team.

As for the original post, I think he had some gas left in him. I honestly don't know why he retired since he was playing so well at the time. His 1970 season wasn't great, maybe he thought his 1971 season was over his head? I don't know, but either way he did it well both in the regular season and playoffs.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

I think he could have fit in for the Summit Series. Then again, when a 41 year old is playing against 25 year old Russians it might look different. I know Frank Mahovlich seemed to get rattled by the Soviets as the series went on. He was 7 years younger than Beliveau. But if Beliveau was a 4th liner on the team I can see him sticking there and doing well. How he does with the bigger ice in Moscow is a question though. But then again, Howe did well in 1974, so I would think Beliveau at the very least is serviceable on the 1972 team.

As for the original post, I think he had some gas left in him. I honestly don't know why he retired since he was playing so well at the time. His 1970 season wasn't great, maybe he thought his 1971 season was over his head? I don't know, but either way he did it well both in the regular season and playoffs.

Wonder what his impact would have been on Lafleur in 1971-72?

 

[KillerMillerTime]

Beliveau was an all time class act. Can still see him presenting the 1996 victorious US World Cup Team the trophy in Montreal. US Team
was whopping it up and an absolute Canadian and Canadien legend had a genuine smile of appreciation for the US accomplishment.

 

[Moose Head]

Wonder what his impact would have been on Lafleur in 1971-72?

Guy loved Beliveau, but I don’t think having Beliveau there helps him. He had other vets to lean on. The pressure of Beliveau looking over his shoulder might have actually made things worse for Guy. Incredible talent, but not the same mental toughness as the previous Hab stars imo. Better to have H Richard to slap the kid into shape, not his hero

 

[MS]

Where Jean still a world class player the last season he played? Do you guys think he could have played even more seasons at a high level after the 70-71 season?

He was the leading scorer (9th in NHL) and best player on the Stanley Cup Champions. Absolutely he could have kept playing at a high level.

 

[BobbyAwe]

He was good enough to lead the Habs in scoring in his last year at 39 years old, and that team was the best in the league along with Boston.

Derek Sanderson, in playing against the Canadiens in Beliveau's last few years said that Beliveau was one guy the Bruins didn't hit or try to rough up because if you got him mad he would just PLAY BETTER and wind up beating you. That's pretty high praise about a player in his late 30's.

 

[Sturminator]

He was good enough to lead the Habs in scoring in his last year at 39 years old, and that team was the best in the league along with Boston.

Derek Sanderson, in playing against the Canadiens in Beliveau's last few years said that Beliveau was one guy the Bruins didn't hit or try to rough up because if you got him mad he would just PLAY BETTER and wind up beating you. That's pretty high praise about a player in his late 30's.

The original Jordan Rules, in essence.

 

[The Panther]

I wa surprised to hear old timers say that #4 was fast when he was young player- a fast Beliveau would’ve been one hell of a player.

If you go back to contemporary descriptions of Béliveau from the early/mid-1950s, it's exactly the same as how McDavid was described around 2017: The most 'advanced', 'sophisticated', 'developed' player of all time.

 

[JackSlater]

The original Jordan Rules, in essence.

The Jordan Rules basically boiled down to doing the opposite of that once Jordan got past the initial double team. Detroit beat him up.

 

[Sturminator]

The Jordan Rules basically boiled down to doing the opposite of that once Jordan got past the initial double team. Detroit beat him up.

Ehhh...I meant more the "never trash talk Mike" part.

People took loads of runs at Beliveau, as well, and sometimes connected.

edit: my impression is that Beliveau only really got his blood up if he thought he was being cheap-shot, and didn't really mind the standard rough checking of his day because he dished it out, himself.

 

[ForsbergForever]

I remember reading that the Nordiques offered Beliveau a huge contract to play in the WHA for 1972-73 but he said he didn't want to hurt his legacy by making a comeback at age 42 and having already been retired a year.

 

[JackSlater]

Ehhh...I meant more the "never trash talk Mike" part.

People took loads of runs at Beliveau, as well, and sometimes connected.

edit: my impression is that Beliveau only really got his blood up if he thought he was being cheap-shot, and didn't really mind the standard rough checking of his day because he dished it out, himself.

Sure, and certainly legend has it that the word was to never, ever trash talk Jordan. But the Jordan Rules were specifically Detroit's strategy during the Bad Boys era, and that strategy was to be as physical as possible.

 

[57special]

Ehhh...I meant more the "never trash talk Mike" part.

People took loads of runs at Beliveau, as well, and sometimes connected.

edit: my impression is that Beliveau only really got his blood up if he thought he was being cheap-shot, and didn't really mind the standard rough checking of his day because he dished it out, himself.

You know who Beliveau’s winger was, right? Not Yvan, but the other one? He was the reason that no one even looked at #4 funny.
The scariest athlete I ever met was George Chuvalo. Second scariest was John Ferguson.