Ghislain Bérubé held back tears thinking about his “priceless” signed photo of Jean Béliveau that was stolen from Quebec’s peewee hockey museum in the Videotron Centre Sunday evening.
When he first heard the news, Bérubé says he “cried like a baby.”
A volunteer with the tournament since the 1960s, Bérubé had collected the photo as part of his vast assortment of artifacts from the competition’s 64 editions.
Bérubé, also known as Mr. Pee-wee, says he bought the photo at an auction about 10 years ago.
“Béliveau was my childhood idol,” said Bérubé. A few years later, he says he managed to get it signed by Béliveau.
“I’m a Jean Béliveau super fan,” said Bérubé. “I just hope I can find it again. It’s priceless for me.”
The stolen photo is one of only two, says Patrick Dom, general manager of the peewee tournament.
The black-and-white photo was snapped at the inaugural Quebec peewee tournament during a charity match between the Montreal Canadiens and the Québec Aces in 1959. In his tricolour uniform, Béliveau dropped the puck at the faceoff.
“I don’t think there’s a word to describe all this because the piece that has been stolen has been part of the history of the tournament,” said Dom.
“You can’t replace it.”
Dom says the tournament contacted police and handed over security tapes. Dom says he doesn’t understand why someone would do this.
“I don’t know what you can do with this. I mean unless you are a real fan of Jean Béliveau,” said Dom. “[It’s] hard to put a value on.”
He says the peewee museum just wants the piece back. The tournament is asking for the public’s help.
“If the person is listening to me right now, just put it in bubble [wrap] and send it back to the chairman, that’s all we want,” said Dom.
“We’re crossing our fingers. Hopefully we’re going to hear some good news within the next few days.”