Canadiens honor Jean Beliveau with memorable pre-game ceremony (Video)
There is no team in the NHL that does pre-game ceremonies better than the Montreal Canadiens. So when the team returned from their road trip days after the death of Jean Beliveau, you knew the Bell Centre would be a memorable place to be Tuesday night.
Before they faced off with the Vancouver Canucks, the Canadiens honored the memory of Beliveau with a video montage set to “Those Who’ve Left Us,” sung by Ginette Reno, and a salute to his family, who were sitting next to his famous seat in the third row.
Beliveau's seat, as well as his banner in the Bell Centre rafters remained illuminated during the game. The Canadiens announced an attendance of 21,286, one shy of a sell-out, accounting for "Le Gros Bill's" empty seat.
Thousands of Canadiens fans paid their respects to the hockey legend during a service on Sunday. His widow, Elise, and granddaughters accepted condolences from those who attended, including the Canadiens and Canucks.
As one final touch on the night, a fan caught a puck that went into the crowd during the first period and passed it to Elise Beliveau, as captured by Sportsnet:
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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