MONTREAL - The Bell Centre was sombre and almost silent as hundreds of fans paid tribute on Sunday to legendary Canadiens captain Jean Beliveau.
[b]Cheap Real Air Jordan[/b] .A line had started to form hours before the doors opened on the first of two days of public viewing for one of the most admired and respected players in Canadiens history.When the doors opened, they moved slowly down a flight of stairs to ice level, where Beliveau, who died on Tuesday at 83, lay in a closed casket at centre ice attended by his wife Elise, daughter Helene and granddaughters Magalie and Mylene and other family members.Photograghs on giant banners, one depicting a young Beliveau holding the Stanley Cup and the other when he was older lifting a torch, as well as a banner with his famous No. 4 served as a backdrop.It was wonderful, said former teammate Dickie Moore, who visited Beliveau often during the illness that preceded his death. I think Jean would love to stand up and say thank you.Its a sad day. Elise has got to be commended. Really, she did a great job with Jean. She did everything for him. Its a shame.Beliveaus wife greeted every mourner who passed, which is how Beliveau would have liked it. The player known as Le Gros Bil was known never to refuse an autograph or turn away and admiring fan.The top level of the arena was ringed with lighted copies of his famous signature, which unlike many celebrity autographs today was perfectly legible. The trophies he won as a player — the Stanley Cup, plus the Hart, Art Ross and Conn Smythe — were also on display.Another touch was having Beliveaus jersey on the seat behind the Montreal bench where he watched nearly every Canadiens game.He was a heck of a skater, a heck of a hockey player and a great individual, said Moore. You had to follow him and you couldnt go wrong. He gave so much to the game.Moore, Yvan Cournoyer, Rejean Houle and other former Canadiens paid their respects, as did Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre.Beliveau won 10 Stanley Cups as a player with the Canadiens from 1950 to 1971 and another seven as an administrator. In 1,125 career regular season games, he had 507 goals and 712 assists.But he is best remembered as an iconic team captain, and for the grace and class he exuded away from the rink.Couillard recalled getting the autographs of Beliveau and other Canadiens when he was a teenager.To me he summarizes elegance, confidence, and the image of what we would like ourselves to be, said Couillard. I think I can speak for all Quebecers presenting my sympathies to the family.Asked what he felt Beliveaus life represented, Couillard said confidence.It was at a time when Francophone Quebecers in particular needed much more confidence in themselves and I think he was one of the elements that created that confidence, he said. For this, we are immensely grateful.He was not only a great athlete and player, he was a great man, a great Quebecer and a great Canadian.It was a difficult week for the Canadiens, who had lost Gilles Tremblay, a speedy left winger from the 1960s, to an illness only days before Beliveau died.Cournoyer, who once played on a line with both Beliveau and Tremblay, did his best to keep his emotions under control as he met with the media after the viewing.When I started with the Montreal Canadiens, he was my first captain, said Cournoyer. I always called him not Jean, but my captain.I had a chance to win my first Stanley Cup with Jean, I had a chance to dress beside him and I roomed a lot with Jean. For me, he was like a father. He called me his son many times. OK son, lets go to bed. I was the youngest and he was the oldest, we have 12 years difference. Jean, for me, was everything.He loved Montreal. We grew up with our fans in Montreal. It was close to being our house, the Montreal Forum and the Bell Centre. Everywhere you go, people want talk to you. Everyone who talked to Jean, they can talk with him for hours.George Gillett, who owned the Canadiens from 2001 to 2009, said Beliveau taught him about the team, its history and its place in the community.Its a sad day, said Gillett. The man had more style than anyone I ever met and was a very special friend.Many who came were dressed in the Canadiens red, white and blue jersey.Its important for me to come because, of course I didnt see him play because of my age, but its important for people to have someone to get behind and put aside all the differences between us, said one young woman dressed head to toe to Canadiens gear. I think thats why so many people are here today, because he was such a big part of our history.A funeral is to be held Wednesday at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral near the Bell Centre.Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version stated that Beliveau won the Lady Byng trophy instead of the Art Ross.
[b]Air Jordan Online From China[/b] . Bayern led second-place Leverkusen by 10 points with a game in hand, while Dortmund was another four points off the pace. Freiburg midfielder Felix Klaus scored in the last minute as his side twice came from behind to climb provisionally out of the relegation zone.
[b]Nike Air Jordan Cheap Free Shipping[/b] . According to a report from ESPN, the veteran safety has signed another one-year deal with the team Raiders, the team that drafted him, and who he returned to last year after a long stint with the Green Bay Packers.PHOENIX -- Of course, the NBAs most improved team would have its most improved player. Goran Dragic, whose breakout season helped the Phoenix Suns make a remarkable transformation, was presented the most improved award at a ceremony Wednesday at US Airways Center. The 6-foot-3 Slovenian, who turns 28 in two weeks, flourished under first-year coach Jeff Hornaceks double-point guard system, teaming with Eric Bledsoe to form a dynamic backcourt. "Were looking for players who can go out there every night and lay it all out there," Hornacek said, "play through injuries, do everything the coaches ask, play with confidence. Thats what Goran did." Dragic averaged 20.5 points and 5.9 assists per game, shooting 50.5 per cent from the field, 40.8 per cent on 3-pointers. He was the only player in the NBA to shoot better than 50 per cent from the field and 40 per cent from 3-point range. "The main thing was my confidence this year," he said. "I feel that my teammates, they trust me. The coaches trust me. I can play my game, be confident, be tough and then shoot the ball better." Dragic recalled the doubters when he came into the league. "I can remember one quote from a newspaper, somebody said that Im the worst player in the NBA and my last name should not be Dragic but tragic," he said. "That sticks in your head. It sticks in my head. On the practice court, I always have this in my mind." Dragic received 408 of a possible 1,134 points, including 65 first-place votes, from a panel of 126 sports writers and broadcasters in the United States and Canada. Indianas Lance Stephenson was second with 158 points and 13 first-place votes, and New Orleans Anthony Davis third with 155 points and 16 first-place votes. Two other Suns were among the top 10 -- Gerald Green fourth and Markieff Morris 10th. Under Hornacek, who finished second to San Antonios Gregg Popovich for NBA coach of the year, the Suns went from 25-57 in 2012-13 to 48-37 last season, a 23-win improvement, and they barely missed making the playoffs in the tough Western Conference. While the Suns were at their best when Dragic and Bledsoe both played, Dragic had to carry the brunt of the scoring and playmaking load when Bledsoe was out for two months following knee surgery.
[b]Air Jordan Shoes Outlet[/b]. The left-handed Dragic is in his second stint with Phoenix. He was drafted in 2008 by San Antonio in the second round, the 45th pick overall, then was traded to the Suns for Malik Hairston, the 48th pick. Dragic was groomed to be Steve Nashs successor but just before the trade deadline in February 2011, the Suns sent him to Houston for Aaron Brooks. Brooks languished in Phoenix, and after Nash was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers following the 2011-12 season, the Suns brought Dragic back, signing the free agent to a four-year, $30 million contract. He can opt out of the deal after next season. Dragic and the rest of the Suns struggled through a miserable 2012-13 season, but with the hiring of Hornacek and new general manager Ryan McDonough, everything changed. Hornacek said he could see Dragics emerging leadership when he watched the guard play for the Slovenian national team last summer. "We could tell from watching him that he was in charge of that team and that he has taken that next step," Hornacek said. "Thats the sign of a great player, when he can take his game to another level." Dragic credited the freedom and confidence that Hornacek and his staff gave him and the rest of the team. Now he and the Suns wont be a surprise but will be expected to win. "Next year, of course, theres going to be pressure," Dragic said. "Im not scared of pressure. I always like to take any challenges that you guys (reporters) or guys on opposing teams give me." Dragic was married last off-season and has a new son, Mateo. His wife and son were in the crowd when he was presented the trophy. Asked how he could be so low-key and at ease off the court and such a dynamo on it, he said it was basically a split personality. "Off the court, Im always shy, dont talk much. Im kind of calm," he said. "But on the floor, Im a different guy. I can express my will on the court. Im kind of cocky." He is the third Suns player to win the award, following Kevin Johnson in 1988-89 and Boris Diaw in 2005-06.
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