Beliveau funeral details provided by Canadiens

MONTREAL -- With regards to the state funeral for Jean Beliveau, the Montreal Canadiens announced the following sequence of events that will be in place Wednesday:

-- The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Queen Mary of the World Basilica Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal starting at 2 p.m.

-- The Funeral Mass will be presided by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine, Archbishop of Montreal, with His Eminence Cardinal Archbishop of Quebec City and Primate of Canada Gérald Cyprien Lacroix; Rev. Alain Vaillancourt, priest at the Basilica Cathedral Queen Mary of the World; and Rev. Rosaire Lavoie, from the St. Antoine de Padoue Parish.

The music and chants will be performed by le Choeur polyphonique de Montréal conducted by Louis Lavigueur, and the contribution of Cairan Ryan, soloist, Hélène Dugal, organist, and Alain Duguay, psalmist.

-- Dignitaries will depart from Bell Centre at 1 p.m. from the entrance located at 1225 St. Antoine St. West making its way toward De La Montagne South, onto St. Jacques Street before taking Peel St. North toward René-Lévesque Boulevard before arriving at the Queen Mary of the World Basilica Cathedral.

Consisting in order of the Beliveau family, the Canadiens Alumni, as well as players and management of the Canadiens, the funeral procession will arrive at the Basilica Cathedral Queen Mary of the World.

-- Pallbearers who will take Beliveau to his final rest will be former teammates and friends Yvan Cournoyer, Phil Goyette, Guy Lafleur, Bobby Rousseau, Serge Savard and Jean-Guy Talbot.

-- Former teammates Dickie Moore, Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden and Serge Savard, as well as Canadiens owner, CEO and president Geoff Molson, will pronounce a eulogy.

Beliveau, 83, died Dec. 2.

He spent 18 full seasons with the Canadiens from 1953-71. In 1,125 games, he scored 507 goals, set up 712 others and finished with 1,219 points. He played in 13 NHL All-Star Games and won the Hart Trophy as League MVP twice (1956 and 1964), the Art Ross Trophy as top scorer in 1956, and the inaugural Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 1965.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.