The anecdote is reported by Serge Savard in the foreword to the biography Torchbearerwhich chronicles the life of former Montreal Canadiens player Jean-Guy Talbot, who died earlier this week at the age of 91.
When it came time to choose a new captain for the Canadiens in 1961, the defenseman from Cap-de-la-Madeleine made his teammates laugh.
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“Coach Toe Blake asked all players to vote,” Savard wrote. The main candidates were Jean Béliveau, Bernard Geoffrion and Dickie Moore. But when Blake started counting the ballots, Jean-Guy’s name came up the most.”
There was obviously something wrong there.
“Blake realized that it was another ploy by our friend Jean-Guy to stalk Savard, who was not himself at the CH at the time but who had heard the anecdote many times. Jean-Guy had put 14 ballots with his own name in the small box. You can easily imagine Blake's face when he realized the trick. All the players laughed until they cried.”
That was Jean-Guy Talbot too!
After a recount, Béliveau was elected, much to his surprise. The famous number 4 then kept the “C” until his retirement in 1971.