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The "new" National Hockey League reminds Jean Béliveau of his old NHL, the game he played and starred in during the 1950s and 1960s.

Béliveau,in Ontario this weekend to launch his updated autobiography, My Life in Hockey, says the disappearance of neutral-zone traps and omnipresent hooks that smothered offence -- and fan enthusiasm -- has restored his passion for the game. But you can take back the tiebreaking shootout, thank you.

"The last 10 years, it wasn't the type of game I enjoyed watching and certainly not the game I enjoyed playing," Béliveau said yesterday. "For years, I asked the NHL, in an indirect way, to bring the stick back on the ice. I always thought the stick was to make plays, not for use -- in the hands of too many players -- as a weapon."

Béliveau and his wife, Elise, regularly attend games at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

"And when I walk out," he said, "you can hear that the fans enjoyed what they saw. I'm sure it must be the same in every rink."

He likes the fast transition through centre ice this year, less puck-handling by goaltenders and smaller equipment that has brought netminders back to the size he remembers.

"You couldn't see much of the net," he said. ". . . The biggest thing, I don't believe they changed the rulebook so much as the way it's being called. I hope the NHL and the referees keep it up."

He draws the line at shootouts. "Not every team has a top-notch goalie or great scorers. It's the question I still have, whether that's the right way to decide a game after teams have fought so long and been even. Your proof is in the playoffs. They won't decide games with a shooting contest then."

The book chronicles the career of a player unsurpassed in class and elegance, through almost 20 seasons on the ice, during which he and his powerhouse Canadiens collected 10 Stanley Cups. Among the updated material is a poignant opening chapter that starts with Béliveau as a pallbearer for another Canadiens legend, Maurice (Rocket) Richard. Even hockey gods have a mortal side, and Béliveau also deals with his battle with cancer, now in remission for five years.

He has been remarkably frank and remarkably accessible. When he was the captain of the Canadiens, his telephone number was in the Montreal directory, "and I haven't changed it in 50 years," he said. "Someone put my address on the Internet, and I get letters from all over the world from wives whose husbands have learned they have cancer and would like a call from me. I read every letter. Every call has to be returned. These people have taken the trouble to reach you and they deserve an answer."

The last 10 years, it wasn't the type of game I enjoyed watching and certainly not the game I enjoyed playing.

Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Béliveau thinks the NHL has improved its product. He offered his assessment while in Ontario yesterday to launch an updated version of his autobiography.