“Guy! Guy! Guy!”
The chant was echoing through the Montreal Forum, starting in the rafters and rising as it swept through the building. This was the first time I heard it live, sitting on the visitors’ bench with my Philadelphia Flyer teammates, moments after Guy Lafleur had tied the game at one late in the first period. It was bigger and louder live. So was the legend that had scored the goal. The Flower, Le Demon Blond, the man himself was doing what he did.
I had heard the chant many times through my fandom of the 1970s, as the Canadiens racked up numerous wins on their way to dominating the NHL with five Stanley Cups in seven seasons. The dynasty was in full bloom, as was the Flower.
Guy Lafleur, 70, passed away late this week, another tremendously gifted goal scoring right winger lost far too early. Unlike Laval native and New York Islander Mike Bossy who died in early April at the age of 65, and who the Canadiens had missed in their draft selection, Lafleur was the superstar who wouldn’t get away.
The aforementioned October night in 1983 was my first full year in the NHL, the second game of the season. Staring down at the home sides end in warmup, I counted numerous stars from the dynasty teams of the previous decade. Larry Robinson, Steve Shutt, and Bob Gainey all circled the ice. One player stood out — the captivating No. 10. The locks still flowed, the quickness evident as he darted around, his presence awing. It was Saturday night, Hockey Night in Canada and I was joining my boyhood heroes. It’s hard not to get caught watching at times like that, wondering how it’s even possible that you’ve joined the game, the new kid in the neighbourhood invited to play with the big kids.
I’m not a collector by nature, but there are a few things tucked away that remind me of how fortunate I was to have brushed greatness in my career. The game sheet from that night is one of those items. The third star was Darryl Sittler, one of my boyhood favourites with the Leafs and now a Flyer teammate. The second star was Lafleur. My name is on the top line, next to la premiere etoile.
Lafleur was destined to be a superstar, and to do so as a Montreal Canadien. A child legend that first came on the radar while dominating the Quebec Peewee tournament at 12, the Canadiens were too powerful in success to have a chance to draft the high-flying prodigy who totalled a staggering 130 goals and 209 points in his final year of junior with the Quebec Remparts.
In a well-told story, Montreal GM Sam Pollock deftly manoeuvred his way through two expansion teams to secure the No. 1 choice. He first obtained the 1971 top pick of the Oakland Golden Seals, thought by most to be at the bottom of the league. When the L.A. Kings ineptness threatened that bottom slot, Pollock traded Canadiens veteran Ralph Backstrom to L.A. to strengthen them and push the Kings over Oakland. The strategy worked, and Lafleur was the first player selected in 1971, and the immediate heir apparent to retiring legend, the captain, Jean Beliveau. It proved to be the ultimate succession plan.
A modest first three years under enormous and passionate scrutiny saw Lafleur average “only 58 points,” though tempered somewhat by a Stanley Cup during his second season in 1972-73. It was during his fourth campaign that Lafleur’s game exploded. The elite scorer tallied six straight seasons of 50 goals and 100 points, averaging a dizzying 128 points per season over that stretch. Most importantly the Canadiens would win Cups in four successive seasons from 1976 through 1979, totalling five in that seven-year span.
Lafleur, the heart and soul of these teams, would garner three Art Ross scoring championships, was named the Hart Trophy winner as the league MVP twice and captured a Conn Smythe as the top playoff performer.
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/sports/hockey/opinion/2022/04/22/guy-lafleur-had-style-flair-explosiveness-the-entire-package-was-on-display-when-i-played-against-him/lafleur.jpg)
His final full season with Montreal in 1983-84 still had plenty of flash, when he tallied 30 goals and 40 assists to lead his team in scoring with 70 points. A change in coaches mid-season saw his former linemate Jacques Lemaire take over the helm, a move that didn’t suit the style of the dynamic Lafleur, and he would unexpectedly step away from the sport after 19 games the following season. He would return three years later for a single campaign with the New York Rangers, before spending two seasons with the provincial rival Quebec Nordiques, hanging up the skates for a final time in 1991.
The Cups, the goal scoring, the points, the awards, the quantifiable is all there. The harder piece to explain is the reverence he is admired with. The first name alone does it. Guy. For one of sports iconic franchises, he will be remembered to a generation as the man. Others will have their favourites, but to the majority there is one.
The style, the flair, the explosiveness: the entire package was on display with a passion. Guy Lafleur was the performer. Guy Lafleur was Le Premiere Etoile.
Guy Lafleur was destined to be a Montreal Canadiens superstar
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)