75-year-old Quebec water-skier, a world champion

Mont-Tremblant water-skier Pierre Plouffe is back from the world championships with a shiny first-place trophy in his age category.

He's 75 years old.

For nearly seven decades, Plouffe's pre-ski routine hasn't changed much, save for a necessary tape job.

"I'm 75 years old, but very young at heart," he said.

Plouffe started water-skiing at eight years old and he rose through the sport quickly.

He even placed fifth at the 1972 Munich Olympics when the sport was featured as a demonstration sport.

"A bunch of us were asked to travel around the world to promote the sport," said Plouffe.

Plouffe trains daily with his own course on Lac Tremblant, where he practices the slalom with more than a few tricks involved.

It's a sport that has been very hard on his body.

"If you do a sport like water-skiing, which is extreme, to a certain point, if you want to try to win, if you're going to challenge, the best in the world, you're going to get hurt," he said. "The body doesn't recover as good as it was when I was 20, but I have the same joy."

At the IWWF World Over 35 Waterski Championships in Spain, he came first in the 70-plus category.

"Representing my country is probably the climax of my career," said Plouffe. "Every time I represent my country, every time they sing the national anthem, when you win, it's always a touching moment for me."

His career has taken him around the world, famously being arrested during a bar fight in Moscow during the hockey Summit Series.

Once, he also stole the Stanley Cup for three days with Guy Lafleur, which Lafleur himself corroborated, adding to the water-skier's mystique.

He is also now a member of the Mont Tremblant Sports Hall of Fame.

"When you're inducted into the Hall of Fame, you're supposed to have retired for five years, but they're afraid," he said. "I've never retired, so they put me in the Hall of Fame."

Plouffe has no plans to quit and is already looking forward to the next world championships in Calgary in 2026.