Montreal Canadiens great Guy Lafleur paid his respects to the late Jean Béliveau at the Bell Centre during Monday's visitation.

In a powerful image, Lafleur was seen kneeling in front of Béliveau's closed casket while paying homage to the longtime Canadiens captain and ambassador, who died last Tuesday at the age of 83.

Lafleur, clearly emotional, talked about the class and reverence his idol had.

The interview below was conducted in both French and English. The English portion picks up at around the 6:04 mark.

Lafleur broke into the NHL with the Canadiens at the beginning of the 1971-72 season, one year after Béliveau led Montreal to the Stanley Cup title in his final season before retiring.

Béliveau's funeral will take place Wednesday at Montreal's Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral.

The Canadiens will honour Béliveau in a ceremony before Tuesday's game, their first at home since Béliveau's death.