After reading his biography you understand that Jean put the team first, rather than worrying about himself. In fact, in that same biography Jean says, "If they say anything about me when I'm gone, let them say that I was team man. To me there is no higher compliment." In the 1950-51 season, Jean led the Quebec Junior Hockey League with 61 goals and 124 points. That same year he was moved to the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Senior Hockey League, and had a brief 2 game stint with the Montreal Canadiens where he notched 1 goal and 1 assist. Beliveau wasn't ready for the NHL just yet and spent the 1951-52 season back with the Quebec Aces where he once again led the league with 45 goals and 83 points. 1952-53 saw Beliveau play 3 games with the Canadiens where he scored 5 goals. He finished the season back with the Quebec Aces, where he once again led the league with 50 goals and 89 points.

The Montreal hockey fans were getting restless and they wanted to see Beliveau in the red, white, and blue. Frank Selke was having trouble signing the big centre so he bought the entire Quebec Junior League in the hopes of signing Beliveau. Selke and the Montreal fans got their wish in 193-54 season as Beliveau finally signed with the Canadiens for $20,000 a year. But it wasn't the money Jean was after, as he often made more playing amateur hockey when you included his $15,000 a year salary and added in his appearance fees and his salary from doing a daily radio broadcast.

Jean wasted little time in establishing himself as a force in the NHL and by his second year he was averaging over a point a game and finished third behind team mates Maurice Richard and Boom Boom Geoffrion for the scoring title. Only 3 points separated all three players! By his third full season, 1955-56, he led the league in scoring with 47 goals and 88 points and won the Art Ross Trophy, the Hart Trophy and the first of his 10 Stanley Cups. In 1958-59 he once again led the league in goals with 45 and added 46 assists for an all time career high 91 points. In 1961-62 Jean was named team captain and quickly demonstrated his leadership ways by winning the Hart Trophy in 1963-64 and became the first recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1965, as the Playoff's Most Valuable Player.

On March 3, 1968 Jean became just the second player, along with Gordie Howe to reach the 1,000 point plateau, and on February 11, 1971 he became the 4th player to record 500 goals. Beliveau finished up that season with a total of 507 goals, the most ever scored by an NHL centre to that time.

Beliveau played 18 full seasons with the Canadiens before hanging up the skates at the end of the 1971 season. But his hockey days were not over. Beliveau worked in the front office of the Montreal Canadiens until 1994 before he retired for good. During his career Beliveau was elected to the QHL First All Star Team in 1953, won the QHL President's Cup as the league's scoring champion in 1953, was selected to the NHL First All Star Team 6 times, won the Art Ross Trophy in 1956 and the Hart Trophy in 1956 and 1964. Jean was also elected to the NHL Second All Star Team 4 times and won the inaugural Conn Smythe Trophy in 1965. Beliveau's number 4 has been retired by the Montreal Canadiens and the 3 year waiting period was waived and Jean was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.

In the summer of 2000 I had the opportunity to meet Jean briefly at a trade show where Jean was gracious enough to give of his time. In the brief time I spent with him he asked what my favourite team was. Being originally from Toronto I had to answer the Maple Leafs. He simply smiled and said, "they were a great team back then, and we had some great games against one another."