![]() ![]() Aces, where he played three seasons, followed by two years with the Quebec Remparts. Lafleur scored 30 of Rockford’s 48 goals that first year, including seven in one game, and scored a total of 64 goals through the three tournaments.Īt age 15, he graduated to the Quebec Jr. Lafleur first came to the attention of the hockey world at the now famous Quebec Pee-Wee International Tournament, then in its early years, where he debuted in 1962 playing for a traveling team from nearby Rockford, Ont., and then in 19 with teams from Thurso. Legend has it that he so loved hockey as a boy that he’d go to sleep at night wearing his gear, ready to jump on the backyard rink his father had made the moment he woke up. He grew up in Thurso, Que., a mill town on the Ottawa River close to the Ontario border. But for a flash of managerial genius, Guy Lafleur might be remembered as the first great California Golden Seal. (Next came Patrick Roy, playing a very different position, and after him came no one….) The succession was less certain than it might seem in hindsight, and it almost didn’t happen at all. He was the Quebecois heir to Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau. During the Montreal Canadiens’ last dynasty - in the process of winning consecutive Stanley Cups from 1976 to 1979, they lost a total of just 46 regular-season and 10 playoff games - Lafleur won the scoring title three times and twice won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. He also had his number retired by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in October.Guy Lafleur, whose death was announced by the Canadiens on Friday, was, arguably, the greatest player on the greatest team in NHL history. 10 sweater retired by the Canadiens in 1985, hadn't been out in public much in recent years following his cancer diagnosis and the COVID-19 pandemic, but did get a thunderous ovation at the Bell Centre during Montreal's improbable run to last season's Cup final. Our family's lost too many good ones lately." ![]() He'll go down in Quebec and Canadian circles, but mainly Quebec, as right up there with the Maurice Richards of the world. "One of the greatest players of all time. He was almost impossible to stop," he said. When he wound up inside the blue line and his hair was just waving back and forth you could tell how fast he was going. I remember playing against Guy and almost being enamoured watching him more than playing against him. "It's really unfortunate this week that two of the best players in my lifetime have passed away in Guy and Mike Bossy. □️❤️ Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau talked about playing against Lafleur, saying he was "almost impossible to stop." The entire Montreal Canadiens organization is mourning the loss of legendary Hall-of-Famer and Canadiens Ambassador Guy Lafleur, who passed away at the age of 70.Rest in peace, Guy. Lafleur was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019 when tumours were discovered by doctors performing emergency quadruple bypass heart surgery. "As distinctively stylish as he was remarkably talented, Lafleur cut a dashing and unmistakable figure whenever he blazed down the ice of the Montreal Forum, his long blond locks flowing in his wake as he prepared to rifle another puck past a helpless goaltender - or set up a linemate for a goal." ![]() ![]() "You didn't need to see Guy Lafleur's name and number on his sweater when 'The Flower' had the puck on his stick," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. But he made a comeback later that year with the New York Rangers and then played two more seasons with the Quebec Nordiques before hanging up his skates for good in 1991. who retired from the NHL in 1985 after Montreal denied his request for a trade, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. He used the whole ice and when he took it, he was at full speed."īrendan Gallagher s’adresse aux médias suite au décès de Guy Lafleur.⁰⁰Brendan Gallagher is addressing the media following the passing of Guy Lafleur. He's one of those guys that used the whole ice when he got the puck. Kind of take a look at mortality a little bit. Losing Mike and Clark Gillies, those are guys in my age group. Sutter said Lafleur could "score from anywhere." I had four assists and I held Lafleur to three goals," Sutter said with a chuckle. That was a big thing opening night, but we beat Montreal 8-7. "Opening night at the Forum, our line had to check his line so I was the left-winger and he was the right-winger. dS3dFZKvgC- Flames coach Darryl Sutter said he remembered playing some of his first games against Lafleur as a member of the Chicago NHL team in the 1980s. A true legend of the game and an even better person. I always pretended to be him when I was playing street hockey. So sad to hear the passing of the legendary Guy Lafleur. ![]()
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