Lafleur was Montreal’s dashing, dynamic superstar
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 Quebec-born player.
A dynamic forward with blonde locks that rippled in the wind 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.”
Lafleur, a Hall of Famer who helped Montreal win five Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s, died Friday at age 70 following a battle with lung cancer.
“A special person,” Canadiens alternate captain Brendan Gallagher told reporters in Brossard, Quebec. “We’re really proud to wear this Montreal Canadiens logo in large part because of individuals like Guy Lafleur.”
Lafleur had 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.
“Guy Lafleur had an exceptional career and always remained simple, accessible, and close to the Habs and hockey fans in Quebec, Canada and around the world," Molson said in a statement. "Throughout his career, he allowed us to experience great moments of collective pride. He was one of the greatest players in our organization while becoming an extraordinary ambassador for our sport.”
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 after the former New
York Islanders forward and fellow Quebecer died April 15 at 65 following his own battle with cancer.
“An honor to play with both,” Wayne Gretzky posted on his social media channels.
Nicknamed “The Flower,” LaFleur was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019 when tumors were discovered by doctors performing quadruple bypass heart surgery.
A few months later, Lafleur underwent surgery to remove the upper lobe of his lung and lymph nodes. In October 2020 he learned the cancer had returned.
“It’s the chemotherapy that really hurts you badly,” Lafleur said in November.
A chain smoker up until his health scares, Lafleur partnered with Merck Canada as part of its “Be The MVP” campaign to raise awareness about early lung cancer detection.
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 at age 39 in 1991.
“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. “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.”
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 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.
“As a boy in Montreal, Guy was larger than life to me,” fellow Hall of Fame forward Mario Lemieux said in a statement. “I idolized him as a player, I respected him as a person, and always cherished him as a friend.”