Guy Lafleur

The first to score 50 goals in six straight seasons, a five-time Stanley Cup champion with the Canadiens.

Guy Damien Lafleur (September 20, 1951 – April 22, 2022), nicknamed "the Flower" and "", 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. 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). 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.

Quick Facts

Position

Right wing

Shoots

Right

Played for

Montreal Canadiens
New York Rangers
Quebec Nordiques

League

NHL

Born

20 September 1951

Birthplace

Thurso, Quebec, Canada

Died

22 April 2022

Place of death

Kirkland, Quebec, Canada

Lore & Background

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. In his teens, he 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. Lafleur was selected first overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft. He wore No. 10, as Béliveau 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 was a cornerstone of the Canadiens' four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1976 to 1979, including being named playoff MVP in 1977. After Montreal won the Stanley Cup in 1978, 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. After retiring from the Canadiens, he returned to the NHL for three more seasons, from 1988 through 1991, with the New York Rangers and the Quebec Nordiques.

Reader's Guide

Lafleur played right wing. He was known for his smooth skating style and scoring touch. Fans chanted "Guy, Guy, Guy!" whenever he touched the puck. Opposing players often hooked and slashed Lafleur, but he never retaliated. He was nicknamed "the Flower" among English-speaking fans and "le Démon Blond" (the Blond Demon) among French fans. He was one of several players nicknamed "the Flying Frenchman". Lafleur remained one of the few players who did not wear protective helmets due to a grandfather clause. According to Wayne Gretzky, Lafleur "was quicker and faster without wearing full shoulder pads."