Habs legend Lafleur dies of cancer at 70

MONTREAL — When Guy Lafleur was selected by Montreal with the No. 1 pick in the 1971 NHL draft, he was billed as the Canadiens’ next great Quebecborn player.

A dynamic forward with blonde locks that rippled in the air as he glided up the ice before unleashing one of his bullet shots, Lafleur was expected to become hockey’s new French Canadian icon.

It just took him a while to get there.

“There was a lot of pressure,” former Montreal coach Scotty Bowman said Friday. “But he worked through the pressure and he became a player of his own.”

Inspiring a generation along the way.

Lafleur, a Hall of Fame forward who helped Montreal win five Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s, died Friday at age 70 following a battle with lung cancer.

Nicknamed “The Flower,” Lafleur registered 518 goals and 728 assists in 14 seasons with Montreal. With the flashy forward leading the way, the Canadiens won it all in 1973, and then four more times from 1976 to 1979.

Canadiens President Geoff Molson said the organization was devastated.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a noted Canadiens fan, also glowingly remembered Lafleur.

“A hero to so many of us,” Trudeau said in Winnipeg. “I remember meeting him as a kid and being overwhelmed in a way that meeting presidents and queens didn’t necessarily overwhelm me.”

Lafleur’s death came as the hockey world continues to mourn Mike Bossy. The former Islanders forward and fellow Quebecer died last week at age 65 following his own battle with cancer.

“An honor to play with both,” Wayne Gretzky posted on his social media channels. “My thoughts and prayers are with their families.”

Yvan Cournoyer, who played alongside Lafleur, had difficulty containing his emotions.

“Guy, he was a fighter,” Cournoyer said with a tremble in his voice. “He wouldn’t let go. “He never gave up in his fight.” Lafleur, 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. But he made a comeback later that year with the Rangers and then played two more seasons with the Nordiques before hanging up his skates for good in 1991.

Named one of the NHL’s 100 greatest players of all-time in 2017, Lafleur finished with 560 goals and 793 assists in 1,126 games in his 17 seasons.

AP (2) PAYING RESPECTS: A fan says a prayer in front of the Guy Lafleur statue outside Montreal’s Bell Centre on Friday. Lafleur led the Canadiens to five Stanley Cup titles, including in 1977 when he won the Conn Smythe MVP (inset, with Serge Savard on left, and Yvan Cournoyer on right).