Matt:

Great story. Thanks for sharing that with the group. I doubt you offended
Beliveau by going so long. He is too much the gentleman to hold that against
you.

Regarding the fastest NHL skater--I remember reading somewhere that if Willie
O'Ree had stayed in the NHL longer than his cup of coffee with Boston, he would
have been the fastest. Makes me wonder why, if he was as fast as Cournoyer
and/or Keon, why he didn't stay in the NHL longer. I saw O'Ree skate with the
San Diego Gulls of the old WHL in the late 60's and early 70's and he was very
fast even when he was in his mid-to-late 30's.

Dave Soutter





Matt,

This was a wonderful account indeed. I'll have to watch Casablanca again just
to see if Victor Laszlo really does sound like Gros Bill.

By the way, it is generally agreed that Cournoyer was the fastest player in
the NHL in the 60s and early 70s. Keon held the unofficial honor till Cournoyer
came along, and H. Richard was usually rated just below them.

Keep up the excellent work!

Peter


-----Original Message-----
From: mhdibiase@...<mailto:mhdibiase%40yahoo.com>
To: hockhist@yahoogroups.com<mailto:hockhist%40yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thu, 3 May 2007 9:49 PM
Subject: [hockhist] Report on my telephonic interview with Jean Beliveau

This should be filed under the category this should happen to you...

It was Wednesday morning March 28, somewhere around 10:50AM, and I
was sitting at my work station when my phone rang. I picked up and
gave the usual business greeting when this magnificently deep, rich
French Canadian voice said, "This is Jean Beliveau! I wish to speak
to Matthew DiBiase"

What would your reaction be??

Well this was mine:

:) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was able to maintain a modicum of self-discipline and I asked Mr.
Beliveau what I could do for him?

He replied, "actually what I can do for you, Matthew?"

He got to the point. He received my letter requesting an in person
interview during my trip to Montreal from 4/22-29.

Beliveau told me that a meeting would be impossible because that week
he would be moving from his longtime home in Longueil to a condo at
an undisclosed location (though I have a good idea where it will be).

He asked me if we could do it on the telephone and I eagerly said
yes. I agreed to call him at his home on 03/31 at 11:00AM.

When the day and hour came it happened. We spoke for forty minutes
but I inadvertently blew the situation by failing to remember that he
could speak for only short periods of time since he lost his saliva
glands in the aftermath of his cancer therapy.

The interview had to end when his voice gave out. I felt like a heel
(and when I sent him a letter of thanks I added a heartfelt apology
too).

Most of what he told me was standard stuff which could be found in
his memoirs.

He told me about the honor and traditions of being a Montreal
Canadien. He reaffirmed his happiest memory of being a player was
when he earned the captaincy of the team.

When asked what his saddest memory was, he responded that the 1954-
1955 Stanley Cup losses and the entire 1961 season were low points
for him.

Interestingly he told me it took him two full seasons before he felt
he had mastered NHL-style of play.

When I asked him whether Maurice Richard had been happy with his
legacy to hockey? He felt that, yes, the Rocket was content with his
place in the pantheon of hockey and had no lingering discontent.

He spoke briefly of his memories of the Richard Riot.

When I asked him whether the retirement of the Rocket placed added
pressure on him from the press and fans. He denied it.

A good moment came when I asked him to compare Dick Irvin Sr. with
Toe Blake. Beliveau told me one had a less smoother way of delivering
messages while the other had a much better, more diplomatic way of
motivating players. He didn't name names but the meaning was obvious.

A better moment came when I asked for an example of how Toe would
send a message.

Beliveau told me that if a player messed up on the ice and had
finished his shift, Toe Blake would wait a few moments and say,
rhetorically, "a pee-wee player would not have made that mistake" and
walk away.

When commenting on the Dynasty years of 1956-1960, Beliveau
emphasized the enormous depth of talent on the team (which he also
felt was the reason why the Habs power play was so devastating).

I asked him who were the linch-pins of the dynasty and he cited the
Rocket and Doug Harvey.

My favorite moment came when I asked him who was the most under-rated
player of the dynasty years? At first he demurred on answering the
question. I got the impression that he misinterpreted my question. I
was explaining what I meant when Beliveau suddenly mentioned Claude
Provost's name. He felt that Provost never got full credit for
containing Bobby Hull in the 1965 Stanley Cup finals.

I asked him whether Henri Richard was the fastest skater in the NHL?
He thought no and mentioned Cournoyer and Dave Keon as being just as
fast as Henri.

Very soon afterwards he cut off the interview when his voice gave out.

Again, I felt saddened that I had forgotten to factor his vocal
limitations brought on by his cancer treatment. I realized afterwards
that I should have asked him how long he could safely talk without
any strain.

(FYI: anyone who wishes to interview him should keep that in mind.
He's good for 25-30 minutes and after that you're pushing it too far.
If he has a bottle of water with him to keep himself lubricated then
n you can go longer. Beliveau did not have his water with him when we
were talking.)

These were my impressions: for a man who has survived cancer, I was
deeply struck by the enormous strength and power his voice conveys.
If he hadn't been a hockey player he should have been on the radio.
It is a wonderful voice. He sounds just like the late actor Paul
Henried's character Victor Laszlo in "Casablanca".

His voice commanded and demanded respect but at the same time it put
me at my ease. I could easily imagine myself being a raw young rookie
in the Habs locker room, listening to that voice and being inspired
by it. I can't imagine how I would have felt if we done the interview
face-to-face. It would have been unforgettable.

Despite my mishap, I consider this one of the greatest experiences of
my life. Mr. Jean Beliveau made a fan and admirer out of me! He is
truly a great champion and a living legend.

There were more questions I was dying to ask him. Whether we will
ever meet or speak again on the phone? I don't know. I pray that I
didn't tick him off.

But it was a great moment.

Hopefully you all will have the same.

Matt

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