Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
National

Funeral procession underway in Montreal for Jean Beliveau

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Dec, 2014 11:26 AM

    MONTREAL — A funeral procession is heading toward a downtown Montreal church where dignitaries, ex-teammates and fans will attend a service to pay tribute to hockey icon Jean Beliveau.

    The ceremony is set to begin at 2 p.m. ET at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral and will be presided over by the Archbishop of Montreal, Christian Lepine.

    The Canadiens legend died on Dec. 2 at the age of 83.

    NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was among those who travelled to Montreal for the funeral.

    "He was just great to be around," Bettman told reporters before the service. "And he's going to be terribly missed."

    He was asked about suggestions that the Conn Smythe Trophy could eventually be named after Beliveau.

    "We've been focused more on his passing and that loss and celebrating his life and I know at the appropriate time we'll focus on what is a remembrance fitting for someone like Jean Beliveau," Bettman said.

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper described Beliveau as someone who transcended his sport.

    "We've obviously lost a great citizen, somebody who was admired and respected by everybody everywhere in the country," Harper said on his way into the service. "I certainly have admired Mr. Beliveau since I was a young boy.

    "He was an individual who was great in his sport but ultimately even greater than his sport. He's already part of the Hockey Hall of Fame and now he's become part of the history of our country."

    The Canadiens say former players Yvan Cournoyer, Phil Goyette, Guy Lafleur, Robert Rousseau, Serge Savard and Jean-Guy Talbot will be the pallbearers.

    Team owner Geoff Molson and former Beliveau teammates Cournoyer, Savard, Ken Dryden and Dickie Moore will deliver eulogies.

    Harper, Gov. Gen. David Johnston, former prime ministers Jean Chretien and Brian Mulroney, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and ex-Quebec premiers Jean Charest and Bernard Landry were among those attending the service.

    Former NHLers included Mario Lemieux and Luc Robitaille.

    A few hundred seats will be reserved for fans on a first come, first served basis. Those who cannot get inside will be able to watch the ceremony on giant screens nearby.

    Montreal police, who have been wearing camouflage pants and red ballcaps in recent months to protest pension plan reforms, have said they will wear their regulation uniforms out of respect for Beliveau.

    Beliveau won the Stanley Cup 10 times as a player and seven more as a team executive. He entered the Hockey Hall of Fame the year after his retirement in 1971.

    Thousands of people filed into the Bell Centre on Sunday and Monday to pay tribute to Beliveau and shake hands with his wife, Elise.

    On Tuesday night, the Canadiens honoured Beliveau before their game against the Vancouver Canucks.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Has Modi Changed Caste Politics Or Can Caste Pyramid Return?

    Has Modi Changed Caste Politics Or Can Caste Pyramid Return?
    Rajdeep Sardesai, has in a recent article drawn attention to the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has restored balance to his cabinet by inducting Manohar Parrikar and Suresh Prabhu, two Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, as full fledged ministers.

    Has Modi Changed Caste Politics Or Can Caste Pyramid Return?

    B.C. NDP Leader Aims To Form Relationships As 'Warriors' Deal With Liberals

    B.C. NDP Leader Aims To Form Relationships As 'Warriors' Deal With Liberals
    VICTORIA — Advice from former New Democrat premier Mike Harcourt includes allowing the warriors to battle the government, the leader of British Columbia's opposition party says.

    B.C. NDP Leader Aims To Form Relationships As 'Warriors' Deal With Liberals

    No winner for Friday night's $ 11 million Lotto Max jackpot

    No winner for Friday night's $ 11 million Lotto Max jackpot
    That means the grand prize for next Friday's Lotto Max will be approximately $16 million.

    No winner for Friday night's $ 11 million Lotto Max jackpot

    Toronto Newspaper Says It Will Defy Ad Ban In New Prostitution Bill

    Toronto Newspaper Says It Will Defy Ad Ban In New Prostitution Bill
    OTTAWA — A ban on advertising sexual services takes effect Saturday as part of the federal government's new prostitution laws — but at least one of Canada's leading independent newspapers says it plans to defy it.

    Toronto Newspaper Says It Will Defy Ad Ban In New Prostitution Bill

    Ceremonies Underway To Mark 25th Anniversary Of Montreal Massacre

    Ceremonies Underway To Mark 25th Anniversary Of Montreal Massacre
    Ceremonies are underway today to mark the 25th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre where 14 women were shot to death at the Ecole Polytechnique.

    Ceremonies Underway To Mark 25th Anniversary Of Montreal Massacre

    More Than 60 Organizations And Agencies Call For Repeal Of New Prostitution Law

    More Than 60 Organizations And Agencies Call For Repeal Of New Prostitution Law
    TORONTO — More than 60 organizations and agencies from across the country are calling for the non-enforcement and repeal of new prostitution laws that came into force on Saturday.

    More Than 60 Organizations And Agencies Call For Repeal Of New Prostitution Law