Guy Lafleur, a legendary figure from the Montreal Canadiens, has died. He is one of the greatest players of his generation.
The team confirmed the death in the Hall of Fame on Friday. Lafleur was 70 years old.
The Flower was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019 when the tumor was discovered by a doctor performing emergency quadruple bypass heart surgery.
Two months later, the Hockey Hall of Fame winger went under the knife again, removing both the upper lobes of the lungs and the lymph nodes.
However, La Fleur received the bad news that the cancer had recurred in October 2020 and was forced to resume treatment.
“I get immunotherapy for the first three weeks and big chemotherapy for the fourth week,” Lafleur said in an interview with Canadian Press in November.
“It’s chemotherapy that really hurt you.”
Quebec Prime Minister François Legor paid tribute to La Fleur from Thurso, Quebec on Twitter.
“Quebec has lost the giant,” Lego said. “I would like to express my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. Everything in Quebec thinks of you. Guy Lafleur is one of our legends. He traces all generations of Quebec. He left us dreaming. He won us. “
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a prominent Canadian fan, said La Fleur was “unlike anyone else on the ice.”
“His speed, skill and score were incredible,” Trudeau posted on Twitter. “A record setter and five-time Stanley Cup winner, he inspired countless Quebec, Canadian and hockey fans around the world.
“I miss you, number 10.”
The Canadiens family issued a statement earlier this month thanking the fans for their sympathy, the “overflow of love” showed the greatness of the Canadians, who were closely monitored by doctors and occasionally undergoing hospital health examinations. But he added that he was at home.
Rafruul, who was ranked first in the 1971 NHL Draft, scored 518 goals and 728 assists in Montreal in 14 seasons with 1,246 points.
La Fleur added 133 points (57 goals, 76 assists) in the Canadiens’ 124 playoffs contest, won the Cup in 1973, and won four more times between 1976 and 1979.
La Fleur, who retired from the NHL in 1985 after Montreal rejected the demand for trade, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. However, he made a comeback at the New York Rangers later that year and then played two seasons. Quebec Nordiques before hanging skates permanently in 1991.
Named one of NHL’s 100 best players in 2017, Raffleur scored a total of 560 goals in 1,126 games in 17 seasons and 1,353 points with 793 assists.
He held the highest ever record with Canadiens assists and points, scoring Steve Shutt with the most goals in a single season, tying 60 and in six consecutive campaigns from 1974-75 to 1979-80. Scored at least 50 times.
La Fleur won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top scorer for the third consecutive year from 1976 to 1978, the Hart Memorial Trophy as the League MVP in 1977 and 1978, and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Playoffs MVP in 1977. bottom.
The three winners of the Ted Lindsay Award (then known as the Lester B. Pearson Award) (then known as the Lester B. Pearson Award) were voted by members of the NHL Players Association. As a league MVP, he was also a member of the Canadians. The team that held the 1976 Canada Cup.
Lafleur announced in 2019 after it was discovered during regular health examinations to renew a helicopter pilot’s license that four of the coronary arteries were completely occluded and the fifth was nearly 90% blocked. I had four bypass surgeries in September.
When the cancer was found, he had one-third of his right lung removed by a doctor two months later.
As a health-threatening chain smoker, La Fleur partnered with Merck Canada as part of the “Be The MVP” campaign to raise awareness of early detection of lung cancer.
“Not many people have the opportunity to grab it from the beginning,” Lafleur said in his November interview with CP. “When most people know it, it’s stage 4.
“It’s not too late because there are miracles and there are survivors.”
Rafruul, who retired his 10th sweater by the Canadians in 1985, wasn’t published much in recent years after a cancer diagnosis and a COVID-19 pandemic, but was applauded like a thunder at the Bell Center in Montreal. I received it. An unlikely run to the cup final last season.
He also had a permanent retirement in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in October.
“I’ve been mostly locked up in my house since 2019,” Lafleur said in November. “Mentally, it’s difficult. Hopefully I’ll get over this and get out of it with a victory.
“It’s a hope for everyone with cancer.”
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