The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the legendary Guy LaFleur passed away at 70 years old.
The cause of death wasn’t announced, but LaFleur announced in October 2020 that he had cancer in his right lung, and had a cancerous lobe was removed from his left lung in 2019.
Montreal Canadiens Great Guy Lafleur Passes Away at 70 Years Old
In a statement, Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said, “We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Guy Lafleur. All members of the Canadiens organization are devastated by his passing. Guy Lafleur had an exceptional career and always remained simple, accessible, and close to the Habs and hockey fans in Quebec, Canada and around the world. Throughout his career, he allowed us to experience great moments of collective pride. He was one of the greatest players in our organization while becoming an extraordinary ambassador for our sport.”
The entire Montreal Canadiens organization is mourning the loss of legendary Hall-of-Famer and Canadiens Ambassador Guy Lafleur, who passed away at the age of 70.
Rest in peace, Guy. 🕊️❤️https://t.co/vEqp39p0KL
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 22, 2022
A standard above
He played 14 seasons for the Canadiens as was a cornerstone of their 5 Stanley Cup wins in the 1970s and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP in 1977.
He set the standard for goal scoring as he was the first player in history to record six straight seasons of 50 plus goals and 100 point seasons.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman described Lafleur’s style perfectly in his own statement.
“You didn’t need to see Guy Lafleur’s name and number on his sweater when ‘The Flower’ had the puck on his stick. As distinctively stylish as he was remarkably talented, Lafleur cut a dashing and unmistakable figure whenever he blazed down the ice of the Montreal Forum, his long blond locks flowing in his wake as he prepared to rifle another puck past a helpless goaltender — or set up a linemate for a goal.”
Lafleur retired in 1985 after his request to be traded was denied, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.
Statement from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on the passing of Guy Lafleur. https://t.co/xcBQU066ew pic.twitter.com/MbSfbwZT1T
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 22, 2022
After being inducted, he became the second player (Gordie Howe has that distinction) to unretire and return to the NHL when he joined the New York Ranger and then the Quebec Nordiques before retiring for good in 1991.
Lafleur had the ability to grab our attention and mesmerize us every time he was on the ice, and he made a mark on several generations with his play and direction.
His career spanned 1,126 NHL games where he tallied 560 goals and 1,353 points. He was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players of All Time” in 2017.
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