Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Today The Bell Centre Is A Solemn Place

12/07/2014 at 6:37pm EST

from Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette,

On this day, as it will be on Monday, too, the Bell Centre is a silent, dignified place of worship, the banners of its greatest players and its 24 championship teams suspended in dim light from the rafters overhead as a kind of CH-crested stained glass.

Jean Béliveau, a legend of La Sainte-Flannelle, never took a National Hockey League shift in the Bell Centre. His 1,287 regular-season and playoff games between 1950-71 were skated a few blocks to the northwest at the Montreal Forum, and in the buildings of 13 opponents.

But now this great centreman, the figure who epitomized uncommon excellence and a gentlemanly grace and dignity on and off the ice through his more than six decades in Montreal, lies here in state.

His flower-draped casket is in the south end, between the blue line and the faceoff circles of the zone the Canadiens defend for two periods each game.

read on

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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