MUST-SEE: Montreal Canadiens honour Guy Lafleur with touching tribute
The Canadiens are playing their first game at Bell Centre in Montreal since Guy Lafleur passed away on Friday, April 22nd, after a long battle with lung cancer.
Lafleur spent most of his career with the Canadiens before conflicts with head coach Jacques Lemaire made him request a trade out of Montreal. When his request was denied due to a fear of the backlash from fans and media, he was forced to retire at the age of 34 after just 14 seasons in the NHL.
"The Flower" came out of retirement for the 1988-89 season after being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame that summer. He signed a one-year contract with the New York Rangers and collected 18 goals and 27 assists in 67 games that season. Lafleur then went on to play for the Quebec Nordiques, where he put up 24 goals and 38 assists over two seasons. He later retired for the second and final time after the 1990-91 season.
Over his 17-season career, Lafleur amassed 560 goals and 793 assists for a total of 1,153 points in 1,126 NHL games. He was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in six consecutive seasons and 50 goals and 100 points in six straight seasons.
Guy Lafleur is the Canadiens' all-time leader in points and second in goals (behind Maurice Richard) and won five Stanley Cups with the club during the 1970s. His number 10 was retired by Montreal on February 16th, 1985.
Lafleur was also named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history in 2017.
The national funeral of Guy Lafleur will be held on Tuesday, May 3rd, at 11:00 a.m, and is being organized by the Montreal Canadiens.
Here is the full tribute video prior to the game between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, honouring the life and career of Guy Lafleur:
