In addition, Lafleur is the Canadiens' all-time greatest scorer, with 1,246 points (518 goals and 728 assists) in 14 seasons with the team. In 1976, 1977, and 1978, he led the NHL in points. In 1988, Lafleur was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 1996, he was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
Lafleur made his debut with the Montreal Canadiens on October 11, 1984, against the New York Islanders at the Montreal Forum. In that game, he had a goal and an assist as the Habs won 4-1. He ended up with seven points (all goals) in his first match as a Hab.
Lafleur became the leading scorer in Canadiens history when Bobby Smith retired after the 1987-88 season. With 518 goals, Lafleur is also the leader in that category. He remains one of only four players to score over 500 goals in the NHL (Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Steven Stamkos are the others).
In 1992, Lafleur was the runner-up for the Hart Trophy, which is given to the MVP of the NHL season. The winner was Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers.
Lafleur played in two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with the Canadiens, in 1986 and 1987.
Guy Lafleur is 68 years old. He is a Hall of Fame right winger who helped the Montreal Canadiens win five Stanley Cups in the 1970s. He retired with 560 career goals and two Hart Trophies and three Art Ross Trophies. The hockey player, 68, was born in Canada. He is known for his fast hands and ability to score goals.
He played in an era when great goal scorers were common and his numbers are impressive: 561 goals in 710 games. He ended his career as one of the greatest scorers in NHL history. During his playing days, he used to say that he wanted to be remembered as "The King" and today he is still regarded as one of the greatest right wingers of all time. He currently plays in a celebrity game every year at the All-Star Weekend in Montreal.
Lafleur started playing professional hockey at the age of 18 in 1971 after leaving university. That same year, he won the Calder Trophy as the best rookie player in the NHL. In 1972, he led the Canadiens to their first Cup victory in decades. The following season, he scored 51 goals, which at the time was a record for a non-goalie. He has been named to the NHL's All-Star Game six times. In 2001, he was voted by fans as the greatest Canadien ever. He currently lives in Montreal with his wife and family.
| Guy Lafleur | |
|---|---|
| Played for | Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers Quebec Nordiques |
| National team | Canada |
| NHL Draft | 1st overall, 1971 Montreal Canadiens |
| Playing career | 1971–1985 1988–1991 |
Thurso, Quebec (16 March 2003)— "I was born and raised in Thurso, Quebec, near Montebello," says Guy Lafleur, the twelfth best hockey player ever, according to The Hockey News. Lafleur, who was born on September 20, 1951, had just one interest in his life from a young age, and that was hockey. He played in several tournaments by children, and at sixteen years old he made his debut with the Montreal Junior Canadiens team.
Lafleur showed great talent from the beginning, and after only two seasons, he was drafted first overall by the Victoria Cougars in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft. He joined them for the following season, and immediately became one of the top players in the league while helping the Cougars win the Memorial Cup. In 1974-75, he scored 50 goals, which is still a franchise record today.
In 1979, Lafleur left Canada to play in the New York Rangers organization. However, he never really got comfortable there, and after one season, he moved back home to play for the Montreal Canadians. He finished his career with the New Jersey Devils in 1986-87, having spent his entire NHL career up until then with the Montreal Canadians/Canadiens. During his time with Montreal, he won four Art Ross Trophies as the top scorer in the league, and was also named MVP three times. He currently ranks thirteenth all-time in points scored (1,934).
His Quebec Remparts won the Memorial Cup in 1971, and the lad from Thurso was already one of Quebec's top sports stars, with 130 goals and 209 points in his last amateur season. He turned pro that year and has never looked back, scoring over 500 goals during his career.
Lafleur led the NHL in scoring for three straight years from 1972 to 1974, finishing first or second in voting each year. The New York Islanders bought him at a price of $575,000 US in 1975, when he had 93 votes in the balloting for the Lady Byng Trophy, which is given to the player who exhibits the most gentlemanly conduct while playing. That's when he started getting called "The Prince of Pleasure," because of his love of fancy shots and puck handling.
He was also winning hearts with his modesty and professionalism. When reporters asked him if it was true that he was paid $1 million US per year by the Islanders, he just smiled and said nothing. He never talked about the money they were giving him, but you got the feeling it wasn't enough.
In 1978, after eight seasons with the Islanders, Lafleur signed as a free agent with the Montreal Canadiens.
Beliveau was the recipient of two Hart Memorial Trophies as league MVP (1956, 1964), one Art Ross Trophy as top scorer (1956), and the inaugural Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP (1965). He has won the most Stanley Cups (17) of any player in history. The fact that he played during a time when players could not buy their way out of trouble makes him all the more remarkable.
In addition to his on-ice accomplishments, Beliveau is also notable for being the first French-born player to win the Hart Trophy. He was born in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France but grew up in Montreal, Quebec.
His name is sometimes spelled "Jean Béliveau" or "Jean Beliveau."
He passed away in January 2018 at the age of 88.
Believe it or not, but this is not the only thing he received after dying. His body was flown back to Canada where he was given a state funeral with full military honors. During the ceremony, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called him a "great Canadian" and noted that he had been born just weeks before Canada's own National Anthem was officially adopted.
Trudeau added that Beliveau was "a true champion who will be remembered for his excellence on the ice and his generosity off it.
69 years (September 20, 1951) Alter/Guy Lafleur has played for the Montreal Canadiens since 1971. He is a two-time winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player who shows the most skill and sportsmanship in ice hockey. The award was created in 1956 by former NHL player and coach George Byng for players who have shown courage and leadership on and off the ice during the season.
Lafleur led the NHL in scoring twice, won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's highest scorer each year from 1991 to 1992, and was a finalist for the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player both seasons. His 894 points in 793 games are second only to Alex Ovechkin's 992 points in 888 games today. Lafleur has been named to the NHL's All-Star Game six times, winning MVP honors in 1991. He has also won the Jean Béliveau Award as the sport's top professional player three times.
Lafleur announced his retirement on April 15, 2015. He had missed the previous 24 games with a lower body injury. He had been playing at an average of 12 minutes per game before he went down.
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