How badly did the Canadiens want Jean Béliveau? They bought the entire Quebec Senior League just to obtain the rights to the big kid from Trois-Rivières that was taking the province by storm. The Habs finally got their man just prior to 1953-54 season and Béliveau spent the next 18 years proving why he was well worth the wait.

His fingerprints remain all over the Canadiens record book to the tune of 14 team records, including 11 playoff benchmarks. The greatest centerman to ever wear the CH, Béliveau was always at his best when it mattered most.

When the Conn Smythe trophy was first awarded in 1965, it was fitting that Béliveau was its inaugural winner after leading the Habs to the Stanley Cup that spring. With 10 Stanley Cups, a pair of Hart Trophies and an Art Ross Trophy gathered over his illustrious 20-year career, the life-long Hab solidified his place among the most celebrated players in league history.

Despite all of the awards, all-star appearances and Stanley Cups, Béliveau’s self-proclaimed proudest moment came when he was selected by his teammates as the Canadiens 20th captain. The epitome of class and one of the greatest ambassadors the game has ever seen, no other Hab wore the “C” longer or with more distinction than Béliveau who served 10 years as team captain.

Only months after he retired as a Cup Champion in 1971, Béliveau’s trademark No. 4 was raised to the rafters of the Forum on Oct. 9. The Hockey Hall of Fame also wasted little time opening its arms to Béliveau, as the hockey shrine waived its habitual three-year waiting period opting instead to immediately induct the Canadiens legend in 1972.