At the end of the series, Lafleur's head was swathed in bandages after numerous slashes from Bruin players. During the 1978 Stanley Cup finals, Boston Bruins head coach Don Cherry ordered his players to put their sticks up and hit Lafleur whenever they encountered him. Lafleur was a cornerstone of the Canadiens' four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1976 to 1979, including being named playoff MVP in 1977. He was one of several players nicknamed "The Flying Frenchman". Lafleur became known among English fans as "Flower" due to his literal translation of his surname, while among French fans he was dubbed "le Démon Blond" (the Blond Demon). Those who encountered Lafleur personally lauded his down-to-earth persona and humility. There were loud colours, loud clothing - we’ve seen pictures of the sideburns". Lafleur wasn’t a quiet guy and if you look at his era, that was not a quiet time. Jean Béliveau was our father - and Guy Lafleur was our cool older brother. Besides his on-ice artistry, Lafleur was also known for his charisma as he was frequently in demand with the press and fans, with former Montreal Gazette sports columnist Michael Farber saying “Jean Béliveau was magisterial. One hundred miles an hour on Crescent St. One hundred miles an hour when he went to Quebec in his car. įormer teammate Réjean Houle said that “Guy lived 100 miles an hour. Opposing players often hooked and slashed Lafleur, but he never retaliated. Lafleur was described as a " Jackson Pollock painting on ice, a frenetic innovator who pushed the boundaries of his art beyond what had ever been conceived, a singularly dynamic force that turned an everyday sight as simple as a man on skates with a puck on his stick into a masterpiece - something you had seen before, perhaps, but never quite like that". īy his fourth season, 1974–75, Lafleur had developed his trademark smooth skating style and scoring touch, making him one of the most popular players on a very popular team fans chanted "Guy, Guy, Guy!" whenever he touched the puck. During his first three seasons, Lafleur struggled to live up to expectations in the league as he posted average statistics-the more so in that Dionne became an immediate star in Detroit who led his team in scoring over his first three seasons. Take a number and make it your own." Lafleur received little ice time in his rookie season, as the Canadiens were deep in veteran players. 4, then had second thoughts, saying, "Don't try to be a second Jean Beliveau. 10, as Beliveau originally asked Lafleur to take his No. Statue of Guy Lafleur located at the entrance of the Bell Centre in Montreal Pollock hesitated between Lafleur and Dionne, but chose Lafleur with the first draft choice. Oakland finished last, leaving Montreal with the first overall pick. He persuaded California Golden Seals owner Charlie Finley to trade the Seals' 1971 first-round pick and François Lacombe in return for Montreal's 1970 first-round pick and veteran Ernie Hicke. With Lafleur and fellow Quebecer Marcel Dionne among the top prospects in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, the Montreal Canadiens' general manager, Sam Pollock, was keen to find a way to trade to obtain one of the top two picks. He gained the nickname " Le Turbo de Thurso" while playing with the Remparts, coined by Radio Canada broadcaster Jean-Bernard Rainville. At the time, Lafleur idolized Jean Béliveau and Bobby Orr. In his teens, Lafleur gained considerable recognition for his play as a member of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he led his team to the Memorial Cup in 1971, scoring 130 regular season goals. Playing career Amateur career Īs a youth, he played at the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament three consecutive years from 1962 to 1964, and scored a tournament record of 64 points. He started playing hockey at the age of five after receiving his first hockey stick as a Christmas present. Lafleur was born on September 20, 1951, in Thurso, Quebec. Lafleur was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history in 2017, and was named to the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2022. Between 19, Lafleur played right wing for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Quebec Nordiques in an NHL career spanning 17 seasons, and five Stanley Cup championships in 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979 (all with the Canadiens). He was the first player in National Hockey League (NHL) history to score 50 goals in six consecutive seasons as well as 50 goals and 100 points in six consecutive seasons. Guy Damien Lafleur OC CQ (Septem– April 22, 2022), nicknamed " the Flower" and " Le Démon Blond", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player.
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