page_title: Guy Lafleur
section_title: Montreal Canadiens
hierarchical_section_title: Guy Lafleur / Montreal Canadiens
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Statue de Guy Lafleur, Centre Bell, Montréal
context_page_description: Guy Damien Lafleur OC CQ, nicknamed "The Flower" and "Le Démon Blond", is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was the first player in National Hockey League history to score 50 goals and 100 points in six consecutive seasons. Between 1971 and 1991, Lafleur played for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques in an NHL career spanning 17 seasons, and five Stanley Cup championships. In 2017 Lafleur was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
context_section_description: At first, Lafleur struggled to live up to expectations in the league—the more so in that Dionne became an immediate star in Detroit who led his team in scoring over his first three seasons. By 1974, Lafleur had developed his trademark smooth skating style and scoring touch, making him one of the most popular players on a very popular team; fans chanted "Guy, Guy, Guy!" whenever he touched the puck.  He became known among English fans as "Flower" due to his literal translation of his surname, while among French fans he was dubbed "le Démon Blond" (the Blond Demon).
  He was a cornerstone of five Stanley Cup championship teams. During the 1978 Stanley Cup finals, Boston Bruins head coach Don Cherry ordered his players to put their sticks up and hit Lafleur whenever they encountered him. At the end of the series, Lafleur's head was swathed in bandages after numerous slashes from Bruin players. After Montreal won the Stanley Cup, 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 neighbours to see.
  In 1979, Lafleur released an album called Lafleur, consisting of Guy Lafleur reciting hockey instructions, accompanied by disco music.
  With Ken Dryden, Jacques Lemaire, and several other key players retiring after the conclusion of the 1979 season, the Canadiens' dynasty came to an end, losing in the second round of the 1980 playoffs to the Minnesota North Stars in seven games. Injuries shortened Lafleur's 1980–81 season and his production dropped significantly (during the previous six seasons, Lafleur had reached or exceeded 100 points and 50 goals). In the following seasons, he was overshadowed by Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky.
  While driving home on March 24, 1981, Lafleur fell asleep at the wheel of his Cadillac and crashed into a highway fence. A metal post pierced the windshield, missing his head by inches while tearing off part of his ear. During the 1980–81 season, Lafleur appeared in only 51 games and scored 27 goals. It was the first time since the 1973–74 season that he failed to score 50 goals or more in a season.
  During the 1984–1985 season, he started the season scoring only two goals in 19 games and was unhappy with the amount of ice time he was receiving from coach Jacques Lemaire. Furthermore, his rocky relationship with Lemaire became intolerable for him, as Lemaire insisted that everyone on the team contribute defensively, whereas Lafleur was always an offensive-minded player whose productivity overshadowed his defensive weaknesses. He asked to be traded but general manager Serge Savard refused his request, as trading one of the most popular players in Canadiens history would have incurred a severe backlash from fans and the media. With no other options, he decided to retire, and his departure from the Canadiens was considered acrimonious.
caption: Statue of Guy Lafleur located at the entrance of the Bell Centre in  Montreal
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