R.I.P. Guy Lafleur

Guy Lafleur, a hockey Hall of Famer who was a five time Stanley Cup Champion with the great Montreal Canadiens NHL teams of the 1970s, passed away at age 70 on April 21, 2022. No cause of death was immediately announced, but he had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019. His death comes a few days after Mike Bossy, another hockey Hall of Famer, died of the same disease.

Lafleur began his Canadiens career in the 1971-72 season, with 64 points (29 goals, 35 assists). He had no fewer than 119 points between the 1974-75 and 1979-80 seasons, winning three consecutive scoring titles from 1975-76 through 1977-78. The Canadiens won Stanley Cups in the 72-73, 75-76, 77-78, and 78-79 seasons during Lafleur’s career in Montreal. He had a bit of a falling out with the Canadiens’ management in the mid 80s, and retired after being denied a trade in 1984. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.

Lafleur then took the rare step of coming out of retirement after entering the Hall of Fame. He joined the New York Rangers for the 88-89 season, and followed that with two seasons with the Quebec Nordiques before retiring for good in 1991. He scored 560 goals and had 793 assists in his regular season NHL career. He had 58 goals and 76 assists in 128 playoff games.