The Hockey Zone

The Rocket!

The one thing which sets an athlete apart from the rest is what he or she brings to the game. A true superstar doesn't just play the game very well, he or she brings the game up to new heights. As the story goes, The Pope and The Rocket were walking down St Catherine's street one day when some guy asked his friend, "Who's THAT with The Rocket?".

Maurice Richard, the ROCKET! He was one of a kind. From the oft-described fire in his eyes to his goal scoring skills, he DID bring the game up to new levels. If level of play was not up to par, then it usually resulted in a goal. Even just before he passed away, you could still see what the man might have been like many years ago when he led the Montreal Canadiens to so many Stanley Cups.

His very own statue

In Hull, Quebec, Canada, a statue has been erected in his honour. This shows how important Maurice Richard was to the people of Canada and Quebec

The Great One!

The one thing which sets an athlete apart . . . Just a minute here. Isn't that how we started it for The Rocket? Our point made, Wayne Gretzky was one player above the rest. He broke one scoring record after another. Wayne's best goal scoring season (1981-82), had him scoring 92 goals; in his best points season (1985-86), he tallied 52 goals, 163 assists for 215 points, a mark in which even the Great One himself could not reach again.

Nicknames are part of sports and they couldn't have come up with a better one for Wayne; "The Great One". Wayne Gretzky didn't just bring the game up to new heights, he changed the way hockey was being played. Where's Gretzky's office? Everyone knows.

Wayne hoists the Stanley Cup during the Edmonton Oiler glory days. During the 80's, they won four cups in fives years.

Le Gros Bill!

The Gentleman, the Captain of the Montreal Canadiens led his team to 10 Stanley Cups. He was as graceful as any before or after his time. His passes were on the mark and his shot was hard and accurate. Jean Beliveau was the first winner of The Conn Smythe Trophy.!

We're not here to talk about his cancer. We're here to celebrate the positives, we're here to celebrate the man. I think that Canada's Prime Minister at the time said it all:

"Rarely has the career of an athlete been so exemplary. By his courage, his sense of discipline and honour, his lively intelligence and finesse, his magnificent team spirit, Beliveau has given new prestige to hockey."

-- P.E. Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, at Jean Beliveau Night, March 24, 1971, in the Montreal Forum.

A young lad who adored hockey was once being teased by his father who said that hockey was fake. The son argued that hockey was not fake, that it was real and nobody threw the games.

His father, clearly enjoying that he had hit a nerve with his son, persisted with his argument that hockey was one big set up, just like wrestling. He even pointed out the fact if hockey was not fake, then why did the Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup so often?

The son went to bed that night thinking about the whole conversation and the next morning got up early and wrote to his hero, Jean Beliveau. He reiterated the conversation between he and his father.

Jean Beliveau answered his plea for help. Shown here is a copy of the note which Jean Beliveau wrote. The last name has been purposely blurred.