In his final season with the Ramparts, this was his stat line: 62 regular-season games played, 130 goals and 79 assists. He then joined the Quebec Ramparts in 1969 at 18 and scored 103 goals and added 67 assists in 56 games. He held the best individual performer title for 10 years before a boy named Wayne replaced him.Īt 15 years of age and a paltry 135 pounds, Lafleur joined the Quebec Jr. Between 19, he was a Pee-Wee all-star, scoring 64 goals. He was the first star at Quebec City's International Pee-Wee tournament, playing from 1960 to 1964. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Clement Allard BLOOMING EARLY Retired NHL hockey star Guy Lafleur poses with former Quebec Nordiques star Joe Sakic and NHL trophies he has won before playing his last game of oldtimers hockey in Quebec City, Sunday February 27, 2011. If the Nordiques hadn't left for the Rocky Mountain range in 1995, Patrick Roy could have been on the list of greats donning both sweaters, but Lafleur, with all due respect to Richard Sevigny, Rejean Houle and Jocelyn Thibault, remains the only icon to have played for both teams. Not since Habs defector Jean-Claude Tremblay in 1972 had the Nordiques landed a player that so identified with the Tricolore. When he suited up for the Quebec Nordiques in 1989, he truly cemented his legacy in La Belle Province for having donned the bleu-blanc-rouge and les 'Diques. When Lafleur came out of retirement for the 1988-89 season, he did so for fellow original six side the New York Rangers for one season. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ball SKATING FOR THE RED AND BLUE Former Montreal Canadiens star Jean "Gros Bill" Beliveau died Tuesday at the age of 83. From left, Jean Beliveau (1950s and 1960s), Guy Lafleur (1970s) and Maurice "Rocket" Richard (1940s and 1950s). Three eras of the Montreal Canadiens are pictured at the Forum in Montreal, Que., on April 12, 1979. It's noteworthy that Lafleur's points came in 961 games, compared to Béliveau's 1,125, Henri's 1,258 and the Rocket's 978. Lafleur's 1,246 (518 goals, 728 assists) is unlikely to be surpassed with Brenadan Gallagher the closest among active players at 38th on the list with 377 points (193 goals, 184 assists). With Henri's death in 2020 and Béliveau's in 2014, the Habs top four have all passed (The Rocket died in 2000). Lafleur grew up idolizing Béliveau, meeting him when he was 11 after scoring a hat trick as a Pee-Wee player. On the list of Habs great forwards, Lafleur can only be compared to three others: Maurice "Rocket" Richard (544 goals, 422 assists), Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard (358 goals, 688 assists) and Jean Béliveau (507 goals, 712 assists). When he took to the ice for the final time with the Quebec Nordiques in 1990-91, he did it in helmetless style at the tail end of that era. "Le Demon Blond" wore a helmet for his first three years in the league before ditching it in the fourth for the 1974-75 season when he started his string of six consecutive seasons with 50+ goals and 100+ points. Montreal Canadiens Guy LaFleur leads the rush over the boards followed by teammates (L-R) Yvon Lambert, Doug Risebrought, Mario Tremblay and Pierre Mondou as the Canadiens captured the Stanley Cup May 21, 1979, defeating the Rangers 4-1. It was perhaps the decision to do away with the only thing between a slapshot and a cracked skull that spurred Lafleur's dominance. The era is over when the likes of Lafleur, Harold Snepsts and Craig MacTavish went onto the ice without anything on their heads but a fine head of hair and a moustache - and Lafleur was among the most memorable. There was a time when helmets were optional. His smooth skating, with trailing blond locks became iconic, as players clutched, grabbed and slashed to knock him off his stride. 66, the late Mike Bossy, Peter Stastny and Jari Kurri.įrom 1974 to 1980, he skated his way through the league scoring 50+ goals in six straight seasons and over 110 points.Įdmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky (right) checks Montreal Canadiens Guy Lafleur during NHL action in Montreal, March 2, 1982. Since then, five have gotten there faster: No. 10 flowed so smoothly and quickly that all the jersey tugging and slashing couldn't slow him down.ĭuring his time at the top of the pile, Lafleur was the fastest player in the NHL to get to 1,000 points in just 720 games. To play the game, you have to skate, and No. He is the all-time points leader, winning five Stanley Cups during the last extended period of Habs dominance and will forever be etched as one of the five best-ever for the storied Montreal franchise. While condolences flood social media and highlight reels are put together as fast as editors can make them, Lafleur's place among the top of the Habs hierarchy is already obvious. Habs legend Guy Lafleur has died at the age of 70.
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