Hockey Hall of Famer Lafleur dies at age 70
MONTREAL – Hockey Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur, who helped the Montreal Canadiens win five Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s, has died at age 70.
The No. 1 pick in the 1971 NHL draft, 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.
Nicknamed “The Flower,” LaFleur was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019 when tumors were discovered by doctors performing emergency quadruple bypass heart surgery.
Two months later, he went under the knife again to remove both the upper lobe of his lung and lymph nodes.
Lafleur, however, received bad news in October 2020 that the cancer was back, forcing him to resume his treatment.
A chain smoker up until those health scares, Lafleur had been partnering with Merck Canada as part of its “Be The MVP” campaign to raise awareness about early lung cancer detection.
Lafleur’s family released a statement earlier this month thanking fans for their empathy and “the outpouring of love” shown the Canadiens’ great, adding he was being monitored closely by doctors and had occasional hospital checkups, but was at home.
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 New York Rangers and then played two more seasons with the Quebec 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.
He holds the Canadiens’ all-time record for assists and points. He scored at least 50 times in six straight campaigns from 1974-75 to 1979-80.
Lafleur won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer three straight years from 1976 to 1978, the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1977 and 1978, and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1977.
Lafleur, who had his No. 10 sweater retired by the Canadiens in 1985, hadn’t been out in public much in recent years but did get a thunderous ovation at the Bell Centre during Montreal’s improbable run to last season’s Cup final.