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Guy Lafleur

Returned To Professional Hockey



After being turned down by several teams, Lafleur went to training camp in 1988 with the New York Rangers. He played well enough to earn a spot on the team. Though Lafleur was not the same player he was at the height of his career, he made contributions. He scored eighteen goals and twenty-seven assists in sixty-seven games, and gave the team stability in the face of front office turmoil.



In 1989, Lafleur signed with the Quebec Nordiques when the Rangers did not match their offer. Thus he was traded to Quebec for $100,000 and a draft choice. Lafleur played for two more seasons before finally retiring in 1991.

After spending a year working in the front office of the Quebec Nordiques as director of corporate affairs, Lafleur went to Titrex as a vice president of public relations in 1993. But hockey still had its lure for him. He played in a number of old timers games, including the Old timer's Hockey Challenge Tour, which benefited the Ontario Special Olympics. He also worked for the Montreal Canadiens as a Special Ambassador, making special appearances for the team. In recognition of his impact on hockey, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League named their most valuable player in the playoffs trophy after him. Off the ice, in 1999, Lafleur earned his helicopter pilot license and considered starting a related transport business.

Career Statistics

Yr Team GP G A PTS +/− PIM
Canadiens: Montreal Canadiens (NHL); Nordiques: Quebec Nordiques (NHL); Rangers: New York Rangers (NHL).
1971-72 Canadiens 73 29 35 64 +27 48
1972-73 Canadiens 69 28 27 55 +16 51
1973-74 Canadiens 73 21 35 56 +10 29
1974-75 Canadiens 70 53 66 119 +52 37
1975-76 Canadiens 80 56 69 125 +68 36
1976-77 Canadiens 80 56 80 136 +89 20
1977-78 Canadiens 78 60 72 132 +73 26
1978-79 Canadiens 80 52 77 129 +56 28
1979-80 Canadiens 74 50 75 125 +40 12
1980-81 Canadiens 51 27 43 70 +24 29
1981-82 Canadiens 66 27 57 84 +33 24
1982-83 Canadiens 68 27 49 76 +6 12
1983-84 Canadiens 80 30 40 70 -14 19
1984-85 Canadiens 19 2 3 5 -3 10
1988-89 Rangers 67 18 27 45 +1 12
1989-90 Nordiques 39 12 22 34 -15 4
1990-91 Nordiques 59 12 16 28 -10 2
TOTAL 1126 560 793 1353 +453 399

Over the course of his career, Lafleur played in 1028 regular season games, with 509 goals and 793 assists. In 128 playoff games, he had fifty-eight goals and seventy-six assists. Known as "the Flower" (the literal meaning of his last name), his legacy was his undying love for the game and his scoring expertise. As sportswriter Bill Libby was quoted as saying on LegendsofHockey.net, "He is an artist on skates, creating scoring plays the way a painter puts a vivid scene on a canvas with a brush. … He is a spectacular athlete in a spectacular sport and it is wonderful watching him work."

Awards and Accomplishments

1970-71 Quebec Junior Hockey League All-Star (first team)
1975 All-Star (first team)
1976 Won Art Ross Trophy; won the Stanley Cup; All-Star (first team); won Lester B. Pearson Award
1977 Won Art Ross Trophy; won Hart Trophy; won Conn Smythe Trophy; won Stanley Cup; All-Star (first team); won Lester B. Pearson Award
1978 Won Art Ross Trophy; won Hart Trophy; won Stanley Cup; All-Star (first team); won Lester B. Pearson Award
1979 Won Stanley Cup; All-Star (first team)
1980 All-Star (first team)
1988 Elected to the Hall of Fame

Additional topics

Famous Sports StarsHockeyGuy Lafleur Biography - Drafted By The Canadiens, Became Leading Scorer, Chronology, Short-lived Retirement, Returned To Professional Hockey - CONTACT INFORMATION