Guy Lafleur

Guy Damien Lafleur (September 20, 1951 – April 22, 2022), nicknamed "the Flower" and "Le Démon Blond", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player.

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.

Lafleur was born on September 20, 1951, in Thurso, Quebec.

He started playing hockey at the age of five after receiving his first hockey stick as a Christmas present.

As 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.

Between 1971 and 1991, 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).

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.

At the time, Lafleur idolized Jean Béliveau and Bobby Orr.

He gained the nickname "Le Turbo de Thurso" while playing with the Remparts, coined by Radio Canada broadcaster Jean-Bernard Rainville.

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 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.

Oakland finished last, leaving Montreal with the first overall pick.

Pollock hesitated between Lafleur and Dionne, but chose Lafleur with the first draft choice.

Lafleur wore No. 10, as Beliveau originally asked Lafleur to take his No. 4, then had second thoughts, saying, "Don't try to be a second Jean Beliveau. Be the first Guy Lafleur. 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.

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.

By 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.

Lafleur's obituary on Sportsnet described him 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".

Opposing players often hooked and slashed Lafleur, but he never retaliated.

Former teammate Réjean Houle said that “Guy lived 100 miles an hour.

One hundred miles an hour everywhere.

One hundred miles an hour when he went to Quebec in his car.

One hundred miles an hour on the rink.

One hundred miles an hour on Crescent St. 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.

Jean Béliveau was our father — and Guy Lafleur was our cool older brother.

Lafleur wasn’t a quiet guy and if you look at his era, that was not a quiet time.

Lafleur was a product of the ’70s.

There were loud colours, loud clothing — we’ve seen pictures of the sideburns". Those who encountered Lafleur personally lauded his down-to-earth persona and humility. Lafleur became known among English-speaking fans as "Flower" due to his literal translation of his surname, while among French fans he was dubbed "le Démon Blond" (the Blond Demon). He was one of several players nicknamed "The Flying Frenchman".

Lafleur was a cornerstone of the Canadiens' four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1976 to 1979, including being named playoff MVP in 1977.

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.

At the end of the series, Lafleur's head was swathed in bandages after numerous slashes from Bruin players.

After Montreal won the Stanley Cup, he borrowed it for the weekend without telling anyone to show his friends back home in Thurso, where he set it out on his front lawn for all his neighbours to see.

In 1979, Lafleur released the album Lafleur!, consisting of Guy Lafleur reciting hockey instructions, accompanied by disco music.

Guy Lafleur continued his passion for the game, taking part in numerous "Old Timer" games that took him across Canada.

One of his stops was for a game in Labrador City, a mining town in western Labrador.

Accompanied by Steve Shutt, Lafleur was received as a true hero, joining the community after the game for a celebration at the local Knights of Columbus hall.

With Ken Dryden, Jacques Lemaire, and several other key players retiring after the conclusion of the 1979 season, the Canadiens' dynasty came to an end with the team losing in the second round of the 1980 playoffs to the Minnesota North Stars in seven games.

Injuries shortened Lafleur's 1980–81 season and his production dropped significantly (during the previous six seasons, Lafleur had reached or exceeded 100 points and 50 goals).

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.