Former ice hockey player Jean-Guy Talbot, a member of the great Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the 1950s alongside Jean Béliveau and brothers Maurice and Henri Richard, died late Thursday evening at the age of 91.
• Also read – Death of Jean-Guy Talbot: a touching testimony from Scotty Bowman
He won the Stanley Cup seven times during his career and is one of a dozen players who won five consecutive championships under Toe Blake's command from 1956 to 1960.
Among them, Don Marshall is now the sole survivor, turning 92 next month.
While the Canadian organization expressed its “great sadness” at the death of Mr. Talbot, the Mauricie region deeply mourns the loss of this great “torchbearer.”
Jean-Guy Talbot at the launch of the book “The Canadiens and the Stanley Cup” in Montreal in November 2016. “Photo Sébastien St-Jean / QMI Agency / Archive”
The ice hockey player's biography was also published under this title, in which Serge Savard signed the foreword.
“I never had the pleasure of being Jean-Guy's teammate, apart from a few old-timer games. “However, I feel like I have always played with him because I know him so well,” Mr. Savard wrote. He was a champion as a locker room con artist. His best jokes are legendary.”
“After one of the Canadiens' many Stanley Cup victories, the team met for a party at the Toe Blake tavern,” says Louis Beaudet, co-author of the biography and a close friend of Mr. Talbot. Jean-Guy had arrived before everyone else and sprinkled the ground with sneezing pepper. It was playfulness at its peak.”
The cruise is fun
Jean-Guy Talbot's joking side accompanied him throughout his life. Among the testimonies collected, we remember the time when he arranged to meet many people on a cruise ship at 7 a.m. the next day for what was supposed to be a singing lesson. People had turned up in large numbers while Mr. Talbot was sound asleep.
“He did everything to amuse,” confirms Jean-Guy Dubois, former mayor of Bécancour and co-author of Bearer of Torch. He was a joker and he had that personality so no one could blame him.”
“He was a go-between,” Mr. Dubois added. He had a great career himself, but his role in the Canadian locker room was also to anchor the team.
With five consecutive Stanley Cup victories and two more with the CH in 1965 and 1966, it is clear that the Cap-de-la-Madeleine native was a very good bricklayer.
Flowers and lanterns
In Mauricie, an arena bearing the name of Jean-Guy Talbot was demolished in recent years, but the city of Trois-Rivières has since renamed the old colisée in honor of the former Canadian defender.
Flowers and lanterns were placed in this spot during the day on Friday in front of a photo of the deceased. The city of Trois-Rivières has also lowered its flag to half-mast.
“Photo provided by the City of Trois-Rivières”
Beyond his qualities as a hockey player and joker, Mr. Talbot wanted to remain simple, humble and down to earth.
“It is he who has to share the record with Guy Lafleur [plus grand] Number of cards signed and donated, said Jean-Guy Dubois. He never said no and was very generous. He also always took the time to provide a legible signature. He had this human dimension.”
“He refused to play the jet-setting attitude that came with being a Canadiens player at that time,” he added of that husband and father. He also made sure his children stayed simple, even when their father played for the Canadian.
The 12 players who won five straight Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens from 1956 to 1960:
Jean Béliveau (1931-2014)
Bernard Geoffrion (1931-2006)
Doug Harvey (1924-1989)
Tom Johnson (1928-2007)
Don Marshall (1932-)
Dickie Moore (1931–2015)
Jacques Plante (1929-1986)
Claude Provost (1933-1984)
Maurice Richard (1921-2000)
Henri Richard (1936-2020)
Jean-Guy Talbot (1932-2024)
Bob Turner (1934-2005)