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Guy Damien Lafleur, Order of Canada|OC, born
September 20, 1951 in Thurso, Quebec|Thurso,
Quebec, is one of the greatest and most popular
players ever to play professional ice hockey.

As a small boy his love of hockey was such that he
would sleep in his hockey outfit then be up at the
crack of dawn to race to the locked skating rink
where he found a way inside to practice. As an
adult, his enthusiasm never waned, and he would be
in his hockey uniform, skates tied tight, sweater
on and a stick in hand at 4 o'clock in the
afternoon for an 8 o'clock game.

In his teens, Lafleur gained considerable
recognition for his play as a member of the Quebec
Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League,
where led his team to the Memorial Cup in 1971.
Montreal Canadiens' astute General Manager, Sam
Pollock was keen to find a way to ensure Lafleur
wound up in a Montreal uniform and made a trade
with the California Golden Seals to obtain their
first round draft pick. Drafted No.1 overall,
Lafleur went on to play right wing in the National
Hockey League from 1971-1972 through the 1984-1985
season; after being inducted into the Hockey Hall
of Fame, Lafleur returned to the National Hockey
League|NHL briefly from 1988-1989 through
1990-1991 with the New York Rangers and the Quebec
Nordiques (now Colorado Avalanche).


Lafleur started his major league-level hockey
career in 1971 with the once dominant Montreal
Canadiens. During the 1970s, he was a part of five
Stanley Cup championship teams, scored a Canadiens
franchise record 1,246 points (518 goals and 728
assists), and lead the NHL in scoring in 1976,
1977, and 1978 (Art Ross Trophy). 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 neighbors to see!

He became the first player in NHL history to score
at least 50 goals and 100 points in six
consecutive seasons. In some regards, Lafleur was
the predecessor to the rise of hockey superstar
Wayne Gretzky during the 1980s and 1990s.  Just as
importantly, he played with a thrilling style that
marked him out as the most exciting professional
hockey player of his era and, arguably, of all
time.

Overall, Lafleur won three Art Ross Memorial
Trophy|Art Ross Trophies (leading scorer in the
NHL), two Hart Memorial Trophy|Hart Memorial
Trophies (NHL most valuable player), three Lester
B. Pearson Awards (most valuable player as
selected by the other NHL players), and one Conn
Smythe Trophy (most valuable player in the
playoffs). He was a member of the Canadian team in
the 1976 and 1981 Canada Cup tournaments, winning
the Canada Cup in 1976, and was the recipient of
the Lou Marsh Award as Canada's most outstanding
athlete in 1977. Lafleur was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Canadian
Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. Along with Gordie
Howe before him and Mario Lemieux after him,
Lafleur is one of only three players to have
returned to the NHL after being inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame. He still holds the record for
the most career point and assist totals in
Montreal Canadiens  history, as well as the
second-highest goal total behind Maurice
Richard|Maurice "Rocket" Richard. Lafleur was the
sixth Montreal Canadiens' player to have his
sweater number retired.

What makes his career even more amazing, was his
two-pack a day cigarette habit.

In 1980, he was made an Officer of the Order of
Canada. In 2005, he was made a Knight of the
National Order of Quebec.

==See also==
* List of Quebec sportspeople
* List of Quebecers
* Retired NHL Players
* List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame
* Hockey Hall of Fame
* List of NHL statistical leaders
* List of NHL seasons