Jean Beliveau is Captian of Team Canada 2010

At nearly 78 years-old Hockey Hall of Fame legend Jean Beliveau will be getting his first taste of international hockey this coming February in Vancouver. Beliveau who spent his entire 18 -year career with the Montreal Canadiens and in the process won 10 Stanley Cups was on Monday officially named honorary captain of Canada’s Men’s 2010 Olympic Hockey Team. “It’s unbelievable to think of some of the players who never had the chance to represent Canada in international play,” says Bob Nicholson, president and CEO of Hockey Canada. “Today, we bring a new member onto the Team Canada roster. It’s about time we see the great Jean Beliveau in a Team Canada sweater.” Beliveau who scored an impressive 1,219 points in his NHL career which started in 1953/54 and went until 1970/71 never had the opportunity to play for Canada in international play. In Beliveau’s era the IIHF World Championship Federation didn’t allow professionals to participate for their respective country until 1977. Approximately a week after being honored at the NHL Awards ceremony with the Lifetime Achievement Award, Beliveau who off the ice is known for being a real gentleman found himself in the center spotlight in Montreal on Monday when he was honored at a press conference (Part of a Hockey Canada Foundation gala and golf fundraider). During this event Beliveau who will be 78 in August got a big surprise when the honouray chairmen of the 2009 Hockey Canada Foundation gala who happen to be another pair of ex Canadiens in Serge Savard and Yvan Cournoyer gave Beliveau a Team Canada jersey which obvioulsy consisted of his trademark number 4 on the back. Making Beliveau an honory captain is a classy move that has been long overdue.