When Maurice Richard passed away, there was a vigil in front of his modest home in Ahuntsic. Her land had been covered with flowers and presents. People too young to have seen the Rocket play stood there on the sidewalk, moved to tears, in the middle of a weekday.
When Jean Béliveau passed away, his state funeral took place amidst a violent (even by Montreal standards) winter storm. The sky was raging and it was catapulting what looked like heavy balls of slush over the city. In front of the church, a giant screen had been installed so that the public might follow the ceremony. And the public had come. The large crowd had shrugged off the bad weather, resisting the squalls of wet snow without flinching.
It is difficult to explain the importance of men like Maurice Richard and Jean Béliveau in the minds of people here, Quebecers like them. It’s not the typical relationship between sports stars and their fans. It’s much deeper than that. It is directly linked to the identity of a nation, to the perception it has of itself, of its potential and even of its place in the world.
Guy Lafleur didn’t play at the same time as the Rocket, but he benefited from Béliveau’s advice and leadership. And the impact he himself had on generations of Quebecers was very similar. Without taking anything away from Howie Morenz, if there was a Mount Rushmore of the legends of the Canadiens, we should see a torch engraved in stone going from the Richard of the 1940s and 50s to the Béliveau of the 1950s and 60s to the Lafleur of the 1970s and 80 at the Patrick Roy of the 1980s and 90s. An almost unbroken line of Quebec superstars playing in Montreal, in the uniform of the Canadiens, which was at one time a societal institution much more than a hockey club.
Many hockey legends have worn the Canadiens’ uniform. So many former Canadiens have been inducted into the hall of fame that a second row had to be added to the series of portraits that adorn one of the walls of the club’s locker room.
But with Lafleur, it’s different. Because the man, who died early Friday morning at the age of 70, was different. Admittedly, the word icon is overused, but when it comes to Lafleur, it fits perfectly.
Richard, Béliveau and Lafleur had in common an excellent understanding of their responsibility as pillars of the Canadiens and as pillars of Quebec society. Richard, a reserved man, might not be entirely comfortable in his role, but he understood it. Not only did Béliveau and Lafleur also understand, but they devoted themselves to the cause. Béliveau paved the way for Lafleur and taught him why it was so important.
It was because of what they represented in the eyes of the people, their people.
“I believe that the Montreal Canadiens are an integral part of Quebec society, it has always been the case, said Geoff Molson, owner of the club. The general impression is that the team belongs to Quebecers from all regions, wherever they come from.
“Guy Lafleur was the perfect personification of this image. Wherever he went, he represented the people who love this team. And that side of his personality was really appreciated. Obviously there were other players who acted like him, but today we’re focusing on Guy, and he was one of the greats. »
Lafleur’s influence on hockey was almost as significant as his impact on his home province. He arrived in 1971-72, the season following Béliveau retired, and it was obvious that the eldest was passing the torch to the youngster. The pressure on him was enormous, and Lafleur needed a few seasons to blossom.
Then it hatched.
It was at a time when wanton violence and intimidation threatened to swallow hockey. The days of the Big Bad Bruins and the Broad Street Bullies.
The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup six times in the 1970s, but the team that won four consecutive championships from 1976 to 1979 was lifted by Lafleur’s excellence. Her style was all grace, skill and elegance, and her blonde hair flew in the wind as the star flew across the rink. He was the antithesis of the bullies who seemed poised to transform hockey for good.
These Canadian teams have shown that you can play, and win, hockey in style. During the second half of this decade, Guy Lafleur was the best player on the best hockey team in the world.
“When the Flyers won back-to-back cups (in 1974 and 1975), a lot of teams tried to emulate them,” former Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden told Mitch Melnick at TSN 690. on a few tough guys, but the decision was made, by Sam Pollock, by Scotty Bowman and by the players, that we wouldn’t play that style of play, that we didn’t have to and that we might win at our way. »
Dryden said the 1976 Stanley Cup was his favorite because it ended the reign of the Broad Street Bullies and allowed the Canadiens to prove that the way they play might lead to victory and that it was worth worth trying to copy it.
Lafleur was at the heart of this influence that the team had on his sport.
“Guy, as the best player on the best team, was the cornerstone of this success. And it’s not easy being the best player on the best team, Dryden continued, especially at the Canadiens who, over a 25-year period from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s , won the Cup two out of three years. And you, Guy, you knew, and everyone knew, that you had to pick up where Richard and Béliveau had left off, that you had to be that player, because the team had to continue to be what it was.
“It was a very heavy burden to carry. And that was his burden. »
Off the ice, Lafleur was Quebec’s biggest star, and he lived like a rock star. But he was always close to people, accessible, generous with his time, he who never refused to sign an autograph, pose for a photo or make an appearance at a charity event. And every Saturday evening, in front of their television, girls and boys from all over the province and across the country, witnessed with wonder the prowess of Lafleur.
He was inspiring.
The Canadiens’ current coach, Martin St-Louis, was born in 1975, so he was just four years old in 1979 when Lafleur last won the Stanley Cup. But he remembers it very well. He says of Lafleur that he was his first hero.
“He took the puck, and we knew he was going to score,” recalled St-Louis. He had this authority, this confidence, and everyone stood up in the amphitheater, and even in our house. When I was little, I went to see the Canadiens play in person twice, but I listened to every game. And even at home, in the living room, when we saw Guy take off, we got up because we knew something exciting was going to happen. »
When he retired, Lafleur fell out with the Canadiens. When Molson bought the organization in 2009, one of his first decisions was to offer Lafleur a 10-year contract to act as an ambassador, a role he fulfilled with which characterized him until his fragile health forced him to retire. Lafleur was known for his legendary work ethic, often arriving at the arena hours before practice started and working alone on the rink before his teammates even arrived. Molson said he was the same in his role as ambassador. Lafleur often arrived 90 minutes early, and he sat in Molson’s office waiting for the event to begin.
“He was dedicated,” Molson said. He always did things the right way. »
A week before Lafleur died, Molson visited him. He says they spent half their time together talking regarding the team. Because Lafleur had the success of the CH at heart until the very end.
He was passionate regarding the team, but sometimes he didn’t put on white gloves when he talked regarding it, like this time in 2016 when he said that CH didn’t have a first or second line, but rather four fourth lines.
He was still employed by the Canadiens when he said that. It was spitting Guy Lafleur.
“He was very direct in the way he answered questions, and I think Quebeckers liked that,” Molson said. I think there was no place for clichés in Guy Lafleur’s head. He was outspoken, and our fans loved that trait of his personality. »
Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced Friday that the provincial government is in talks with Lafleur’s family with the intention of holding a state funeral, as was done for Beliveau in 2014 and for Richard in 2000. .
“Guy Lafleur is the Montreal Canadiens,” said St-Louis. There are great players who have played here, but there are three or four who are the Montreal Canadiens: Jean Béliveau, Maurice Richard.
“And Guy Lafleur is one of those, the greatest of the greats. »
(Photo by Guy Lafleur in 1976: Denis Brodeur/NHLI via Getty Images)
