On February 14, this past Valentine's day, hockey legend Jean Beliveau once again found himself on center ice of the Montreal Forum. Former Montreal Canadiens captain was at the Pepsi Forum to announce the very first hockey souvenir auction for the benefit of the Fondation Jean Beliveau.
While Mr. Beliveau has donated several objects that marked his famous career, several other renowned hockey players, past and present, have also contributed autographed objects.
"I am very happy with the participation of my former colleagues and friends, but also with the participation of young stars, such as Sidney Crosby and Vincent Lecavalier, who are demonstrating their great generosity. The profits from this excellent initiative will help support disabled children across Quebec", explains Mr. Beliveau.
The auction was held February 20th at the Pepsi Forum and was hosted by Marc-Andre Coallier and George Springate. Participants were able to choose from a host of hockey, auto racing and performing arts souvenirs. Among other objects, there was be a Stanley Cup ring given to Jean Beliveau, as well as jerseys and pictures autographed by both current NHL stars and legends, such as Maurice and Henri Richard, Guy Lafleur, Bobby Orr and many others.
In addition, an auction is being held online at http://www.classicauctions.net/ from February 20 until March 11. A great number of precious souvenirs will be available for collectors.
The Jean Beliveau Foundation was created in March of 1971, as part of a special celebration to mark the retirement of the famous captain of the Montreal Canadiens. On that occasion, and at the behest of Mr. Beliveau, the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club, the business community, and the general public raised and donated to the Jean Beliveau Fund the sum of $155,000 in support of underprivileged youth in Quebec. The very first contribution of the Jean Beliveau Fund, a car for the transportation of the children, was donated to the Quebec Society for Disabled Children's Camp Papillon.Today, the value of the Fondation Jean Beliveau portfolio is more than $1.3 million. Since its inception, the Fondation has contributed $1,367,000 to the well-being of needy youngsters. A remarkable athlete, a man of influence, and a distinguished philanthropist, Jean Beliveau has forever touched the lives of thousands of disabled youth.
Here are some of the 60 plus items available for bidding at the site. You can see more Beliveau items, and those donated by other members of the Canadiens family at the Classic Auctions site.
A spectacular way to lead off our Jean Beliveau Foundation auction is this superior offering, a classic wool Canadiens sweater originally obtained directly from Mr. Beliveau and accompanied by an intriguing story. Our consignor was just a youngster when he won the sweater in a contest organized by the Journal de Montreal newspaper not long after Jean Beliveau retired from hockey in 1971 after contributing to a tenth Stanley Cup championship. The Canadiens' former captain personally presented the sweater to the excited boy. Cherished for some 35 years, the uniform is thus now being offered to hobbyists for the first time. Although we cannot find a conclusive photo match for it since jerseys of the era are all very similar, our extensive research has zeroed in on the 1968-69 season, with the jersey looking to be the identical style that shows up in photos from the 1969 Stanley Cup finals against the Blues. After his most productive season in years (33 goals, 82 points), Beliveau continued his inspirational play in the playoffs, potting five goals and 10 assists as the Canadiens swept the Rangers, took out the Bruins in six games (Beliveau scored the double-overtime winner in the 2-1 clinching sixth game) and took care of the Blues in four straight. With the captain's "C" joining the Habs' red, white and blue crest on the front and the original lace making its way through the six eyelets, the untagged sweater features nice pilling inside and out, with a one- inch team repair to report on the double-weight right elbow. Beliveau's famous number "4" is sewn on the back and sleeves and the placement of the numbers matches photos from the '69 Cup finals. A number of holes throughout look to be the work of moths; we spot four on the front, approximately a dozen on each sleeve and eight on the back. A brownish stain in the white stripe on the back, below the number, it also to note. A wool sweater worn by the greatest leader in the long, storied history of the Montreal Canadiens is something that rarely comes up for public sale. Beliveau, jersey and Canadiens enthusiasts will all be equally enticed by this stirring and tantalizing sweater, to be accompanied by a letter of authenticity signed by the one and only Jean Beliveau.
Tremendous piece of history here was used by Canadiens’ great Jean Beliveau to become the NHL’s all-time highest scoring center. The legend’s 325th regular season goal came Sunday, December 22nd, 1963, at the Olympia in Detroit and opened the scoring in a 6-1 Canadiens victory. Roger Crozier was the victim, with Bobby Rousseau assisting of the goal which came at 17:23 of the first period and which moved Beliveau ahead of Nels Stewart and into fifth place on the all-time goals scored list behind Richard, Howe, Lindsay and Geoffrion. Mr. Beliveau’s handwriting that gives some of the details is on a paper that is still taped to one side of the record-breaking puck, with an orange rubber Red Wings logo visible underneath. The other side features the Art Ross Tyer/CCM octagonal logo (with the "Made in USA" notation) and includes a screw hole from once having been mounted. Exhibiting light game use, the puck is in near perfect condition and is from a season that saw Beliveau win his second Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player, thanks to 28 goals and 50 assists, to go along with his exemplary leadership as Montreal’s team captain. Not offered in our February, 2005 Jean Beliveau auction, the one-of-a-kind puck offers those who missed out in securing one of his milestone goal pucks a marvelous opportunity. A letter of authenticity signed by Jean Beliveau will be included with this exceptional piece of Canadiens/hockey history.
Tremendous piece of history here was used by Canadiens’ great Jean Beliveau to become the NHL’s all-time highest scoring center. The legend’s 325th regular season goal came Sunday, December 22nd, 1963, at the Olympia in Detroit and opened the scoring in a 6-1 Canadiens victory. Roger Crozier was the victim, with Bobby Rousseau assisting of the goal which came at 17:23 of the first period and which moved Beliveau ahead of Nels Stewart and into fifth place on the all-time goals scored list behind Richard, Howe, Lindsay and Geoffrion. Mr. Beliveau’s handwriting that gives some of the details is on a paper that is still taped to one side of the record-breaking puck, with an orange rubber Red Wings logo visible underneath. The other side features the Art Ross Tyer/CCM octagonal logo (with the "Made in USA" notation) and includes a screw hole from once having been mounted. Exhibiting light game use, the puck is in near perfect condition and is from a season that saw Beliveau win his second Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player, thanks to 28 goals and 50 assists, to go along with his exemplary leadership as Montreal’s team captain. Not offered in our February, 2005 Jean Beliveau auction, the one-of-a-kind puck offers those who missed out in securing one of his milestone goal pucks a marvelous opportunity. A letter of authenticity signed by Jean Beliveau will be included with this exceptional piece of Canadiens/hockey history.
Excellent game use with skate slices on the toes where black shellac was added but which wore thin. There are scuff marks on the sides of the leather boots and color-loss at the backs of the tendon guards from tape removal. The skates can also be matched to Jean Beliveau night, held March 24, 1971 as the regular season wound down and, although we haven’t been able to photo match them to the playoffs, we cannot find a reason to believe they aren't the blades the Canadiens’ captain laced up in the 1971 playoffs, which included the upset of the mighty Boston Bruins in the first round and concluded with Beliveau accepting the Stanley Cup one last time from NHL president Clarence Campbell. "Wow" is what we know you’re saying right about now and we echo your sentiments. Size 9 skates were originally obtained directly from Mr. Beliveau and will be accompanied by his signed letter of authenticity. Amazing!
Fantastic old wool conjures up images of Jean Beliveau in his Quebec Aces uniform, one he wore for two seasons after his two years with the junior Citadels. This one is not the exact Aces style worn by Beliveau in 1951-52 and ‘52-53 before he joined the NHL, but is nonetheless a splendid senior hockey relic from hockey tradition-rich Quebec City. Untagged tie-neck style sweater (six eyelets) features a fabulous chenille and chain-stitched all-English Aces crest sewn on the front, along with a white felt assistant captain’s "A", while a red-on-white number "5" is stitched to the back. Approximate size is 42 and the wear is heavy. We count 16 team repairs on the front, another 10 on the back and major darned repairs at the elbows/lower sleeves, which are a lovely(!) mess. There are countless holes throughout, but not really detracting the front, the most gaping ones on the lower sleeves near the red cuffs. A letter of authenticity to be included from Gilles Benoit tells the story of him being the Aces’ backup goaltender at all home games at the "Colisee" in 1958-59 and how he obtained this jersey as a souvenir from the dressing room before his return to Montreal at season’s end. This style though appears to be more from early in the decade (a ‘50-51 team photo has players wearing this type), and could have survived as a practice/ training camp jersey for several years, explaining the signs of significant use. In summary, an awesome vintage wool to add to a big-time sweater collection.
An exceptional photo documentation of Jean Beliveau’s exceptional life and career is what is offered here with these fascinating prints of big Jean’s personal photo collection. They begin with half a dozen boyhood shots and continue with a dozen from Beliveau’s two years with the Quebec Aces. Two Victoriaville Tigers photos, two with the Quebec Citadels and a wedding picture with Elise segue into the 30+ NHL pics. Highlights include wearing number 12 against the Rangers during a call-up when he scored a hat trick, signing his first Habs’ contract, 1950s action, Beliveau and Richard in hot pursuit of Gordie Howe, posed with Howe at a ‘50s and a ‘60s All-Star game, with Richard and a young Rene Lecavalier, several with the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy, dressing room photos after scoring his 500th goal and other killer action and posed takes. High quality matte-finish photos of one of hockey’s greatest ambassadors and most beloved figures will excite and delight the lucky high bidder. An LOA signed by Mr. Beliveau will be included with these special images.
Always with the Montreal Canadiens’ cause close to his heart, Jean Beliveau has been a "regular" at Habs’ home games in recent years, with his personal tickets from the Bell Centre here all bearing his wonderful signature. Hats off to the Canadiens’ marketing department which has produced some great looking tix with photos of past and present Montreal players, making for appealing, collectible memorabilia. Most are in groups of four with Mr. Beliveau’s Section 102, Row EE, Seats 1-2-3-4 appearing on them. There are over 35 special "Loge" tickets with the same image of Guy Lafleur and Michael Ryder and from a 2004 playoff game. The winning bidder will be receiving a fun package, along with an LOA signed by all-time Habs great Jean Beliveau.
These circa 1970 Nesbitt’s soft drink bottle caps feature an image of Montreal Canadiens’ leader extraordinaire Jean Beliveau and reveal that drinkers of the orange soda pop could enter a contest to win a Montreal Canadiens table top hockey game. An image of the game and "Gagnez-Win des jeux de hockey des Canadiens de Montreal" appear on the front, while an invitation to enter the contest is beneath the clear vinyl liners on the interior. These caps were destined for bottles but never made it, so they’re all mint, mint! Lots of possibilities here.
Auction closing: The final day of bidding for this entire auction is Tuesday, March 11th, 2008. The auction will close at 9:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time) on March 11th, 2008. After 9:00 PM, the auction will continue until the bids stop coming in or the phone stops ringing for 10 minutes. This rule applies to the entire auction and to all the lots. In other words, all lots will remain opened for as long as a bid has been placed on any item and all the lots will close at the same time. Furthermore, there will no longer be a time limit for the auction to close. Only the application of the 10 minute rule will determine the time of closing. Please note that rules have also changed concerning bidding after 9:00 PM. As a matter of fact two different rules will apply. The first one concerns bidding after 9:00 PM and the second one concerns bidding after 1:00 AM. In order to place a bid after 9:00 PM on closing night (March 11th, 2008), you must ABSOLUTELY have recorded at least one bid before 9:00 PM. In other words, placing a bid on any one lot before 9:00 PM will allow you to bid on any other lot during the extended bidding period (after 9:00 PM). Furthermore from now on in order to place a bid after 1:00 AM on March 12th, 2008, you must ABSOLUTELY have recorded at least one bid before 1:00 AM on that particular lot. In other words, you will not be able to bid on any lot you have not already bid on.
