Jean Arthur Béliveau (né le 31 août 1931 à Trois-Rivières au Québec, Canada) est un joueur de hockey sur glace canadien. Il a remporté la Coupe Stanley à dix reprises, dont un nombre record de cinq fois comme capitaine des Canadiens de Montréal.
Jean Béliveau débute sa carrière en 1946 avec les Panthers de Victoriaville. Il joue ensuite pour les Tigres, les As de Québec et enfin les Citadelles de la Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec. Il commence sa carrière professionnelle chez les Canadiens de Montréal de la Ligue nationale de hockey (LNH) en 1951 où il obtient une place de titulaire durant la saison 1953-1954 en prenant part à 44 parties et marquant 34 points.
Avec son imposante stature ainsi que son élégance et sa robustesse, Jean Béliveau, surnommé « Le Gros Bill », est considéré comme un modèle par la génération montante des joueurs de hockey LNH. La saison LNH 1954-55 fortifie son statut de vedette à Montréal alors qu'il termine troisième marqueur de la ligue et est nommé dans l'équipe du Match des Étoiles de la ligue.
L'année suivante, Béliveau termine meilleur marqueur et gagne le trophée Hart et le trophée Art Ross[1]. Pour conclure en beauté, Béliveau gagne la première de ses dix Coupes Stanley. Il continue son ascension dans la LNH, battant son record personnel de points de 1958-59 en gagnant un autre championnat des marqueurs de la ligue. Il est nommé capitaine de son équipe en 1961-62 et continuera de remporter plusieurs distinctions et Coupes Stanley.
En 1968, il devient le deuxième joueur de l'histoire de la LNH, après Gordie Howe, à atteindre les 1 000 points en carrière. Trois ans après, il est le quatrième joueur à franchir la barre symbolique des 500 buts.
Béliveau se retire en 1971 en gagnant sa dixième Coupe Stanley. Sans attendre la période habituelle de trois ans pour une admission au Temple de la renommée du hockey, il est intronisé en 1972[2].
Au moment de sa retraite, il détenait le record de son équipe pour les points en carrière et était le meilleur marqueur en série dans la LNH. Il aura marqué 507 buts et 712 passes pour 1219 points en 1125 parties de saison régulière et 70 buts et 97 aides pour 176 points en 162 parties de séries. Son numéro (4) a été retiré le 4 octobre 1971 par les Canadiens de Montréal.
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Jean Arthur "Le Gros Bill" Béliveau, (born August 31, 1931) is a former professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens. As a player, he won the Stanley Cup 10 times, and as an executive he was part of another seven championship teams, the most Stanley Cup victories by an individual to date. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.
A star at an early age, he was spotted by Canadiens general manager Frank Selke at the age of 15. Selke tried to get him to sign a "C-form," the usual form by which NHL teams bound young players to them. Under the form's terms, Jean would have joined the Canadiens at a set date, and at an agreed-upon salary. However, Jean's father balked, and eventually Selke had to content himself with having Jean sign a "B-form," in which he agreed to play for Montreal should he ever decide to turn pro.
Béliveau became a star in Quebec's amateur leagues, and was called up twice for brief appearances by the Canadiens in 1950–51 and 1952–53. He led the Quebec Senior Hockey League in scoring in 1953. However, he did not appear to show much interest in playing professionally. Finally, Selke got an idea—if the QSHL were somehow turned into a professional league, Béliveau would be a professional as well, and under the terms of the B-form he would have to sign with the Habs. At Selke's suggestion, the Canadiens bought the QSHL and converted it from an amateur league to a minor pro league. This forced Béliveau to join the Canadiens for the 1953–54 NHL season (though the Habs owned the NHL rights to all of the league's players in any case).
Three years later, in 1956, Béliveau won both the Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the league's scoring champion and the Hart Memorial Trophy as its most valuable player. During his 18 full seasons in Montreal, he played on 10 Stanley Cup winning teams 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971. For his last 10 seasons, he was the team captain. He was nicknamed "Le gros Bill" after a mighty character from Québécois folklore.
A powerful skater, he had a polished air of composed confidence that made him a natural leader both on and off the ice. Admired and respected by fans, teammates and his opponents, he was the first player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for his performance in the 1965 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Béliveau retired at the end of the 1970–71 NHL season as his team's all-time leader in points, second all-time in goals and the NHL's all-time leading playoff scorer. He scored 507 goals and had 712 assists for 1,219 points in 1,125 NHL regular-season games plus 79 goals and 97 assists for 176 points in 162 playoff games. His jersey number (#4) was retired on October 9, 1971. In 1972, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is now the second all-time leading scorer in Canadiens history, behind Guy Lafleur. Only Henri Richard (1256 games) and Larry Robinson (1202 games) played more games for the Habs.
After his playing days were over, Béliveau remained with the Canadiens team as an executive and goodwill ambassador. Béliveau's name appears on the Stanley Cup a record seventeen times, including seven times as an executive for the Canadiens: 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1993.[6]
Béliveau was never known as an activist during his playing days. However, he was one of several players who threatened to pull out of the Hall of Fame if disgraced ex-NHLPA executive director Alan Eagleson had been allowed to stay in after being convicted of fraud and embezzlement. He also supported the NHL's position during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, arguing that the players' demands would damage the sport and the league.