Guy Lafleur has died at age 70 after battle with lung cancer
Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur has died at the age of 70.
The Quebecer was a bonafide Habs icon, winning five Stanley Cups and remaining, to this day, the team's all-time scoring leader.
In his 14 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Lafleur, also known as "the Flower," became known for his smooth skating and scoring touch -- easily recognizable on the ice with his long hair flowing out behind him, unrestricted by a helmet.
In delivering a speech Friday to commemorate Lafleur, current Habs CEO Geoff Molson choked up and had to compose himself before even beginning.
"It's with enormous sadness that the Canadiens family learned today of the death of a symbol for a whole nation, and one of the greatest players in history," Molson said.
From humble beginnings in Thurso, Que., a small town on the Ottawa River with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants, Lafleur excelled at hockey, playing in the Quebec Pee-Wee tournament at just 11 years old, where he got to meet his idol, Canadiens hero Jean Béliveau.
"We took a picture together," Lafleur recalled years later. "He was putting a hat on my head and he said, 'Maybe one day we'll see you in the NHL.'"
He wore Béliveau's #4 as he ascended to the Juniors -- and was drafted first overall by the Canadiens in 1971.
At first, Lafleur struggled in the big leagues, overshadowed by fellow Quebecer Marcel Dionne, who was selected second by the Detroit Red Wings.
"The expectations were too high," said Scotty Bowman, former NHL head coach with both the Habs and the Red Wings. "He came as Jean Béliveau retired... They thought Lafleur was coming in to replace Béliveau."
Yet by his third season, Lafleur had hit his stride.
He would go on to win five Stanley Cups with the Canadiens, the first player to score 50 goals and 100 points in six straight seasons.
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: Remembering Guy Lafleur
By the early 1980s, he seemed frustrated with the team -- his ice time had been reduced and his production had plummeted.
Lafleur repeatedly asked for a trade, but was denied; in 1984, he decided to retire.
"Nobody pushed me to take that decision. I took it on my own," he said. "And I'm very happy about it."
Lafleur was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 -- though in a surprise twist, he decided to return to the game, signing with the New York Rangers then returning to Quebec to play with the Nordiques for two seasons before retiring a second time.
To honour his accomplishments, the crowd gave him a six minute standing ovation at the Montreal Forum as they sent off his #10 to hang alongside other Habs greats.
"When you're a kid, your dream is to play in the NHL and to play with the Canadiens because they were the best -- and having the chance to win the Stanley Cup," Lafleur said.
The decorated forward received three Art Ross trophies for the most points in the league, two Hart Memorial trophies for being his team's most valuable player and a Conn Smythe trophy for being a playoff MVP.
"I think if I would have told my mom about this when I was 10 years old, she would have whacked me upside the head," he said.
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: Guy Lafleur with Andrew Carter
After a total of 17 seasons in the NHL, Lafleur became one of the Canadiens' greatest ambassadors, a legend whose scoring and signature still loom large in hockey history.
Lafleur had been diagnosed with lung cancer after a white spot was discovered in September 2019.
The Quebec premier's office has offered Lafleur's family a "national funeral," a kind of state funeral, to honour the hockey great, should they so wish. The province is also considering renaming a picturesque highway that goes past Lafleur's rural hometown after him.
Lafleur leaves behind his wife Lise, his sons Martin and Mark, his mother Pierrette Lafleur, his granddaughter Sienna-Rose and his sisters Lise, Gisèle, Suzanne and Lucie.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.