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Béliveau to ‘lie in state’ at the Bell Centre

Jean Beliveau

FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2009, file photo, Montreal Canadiens great Jean Beliveau poses at his home in St. Lambert, Quebec. Beliveau died Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. He was 83. The team confirmed the death of the Hall of Fame center and one of the most beloved players in Canadiens history. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes, File)

AP

Montreal Canadiens fans will have a chance to pay their respects to beloved hockey legend Jean Béliveau, who died yesterday at the age of 83.

The club announced today that Béliveau will “lie in state” at the Bell Centre on Sunday and Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Béliveau’s funeral will be held next Wednesday at the Mary Queen of the World Cathedral, starting at 2 p.m.

“The team’s management stresses that, in keeping with the family’s wishes, all activities will reflect the image of the late hockey legend: they will be simple and accessible to the public,” the Canadiens wrote in a press release.

TSN.ca has compiled some of the many tributes that have poured in since news of Béliveau’s passing broke.

“No record book can capture, no image can depict, no statue can convey the grandeur of the remarkable Jean Béliveau, whose elegance and skill on the ice earned the admiration of the hockey world while his humility and humanity away from the rink earned the love of fans everywhere,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman wrote in a release.

“Mr. Béliveau was a formidable presence and his departure leaves an immeasurable void. As we grieve that he has left us, we cherish what he gave us: A sport elevated forever by his character, his dignity and his class.

“For all the accomplishments he achieved and all the accolades he received, Jean Béliveau was always the epitome of the boy whose only dream was to play for the Montreal Canadiens. Hockey is better because that dream was realized.”