Did I Tell You the One About Guy Lafleur and Me?

10 and 99

Following The Golden Jet,
and before The Great One,
the most exciting, most colourful player
in the NHL was the perfect 10,
Guy Lafleur.

I've met lots of NHL players and Hall of  Fame honoured members but 10
was special.

A very unique personality,
not full of himself. 

Like the 1970s Montreal Alouette, Johnny Rogers, Lafleur was an average super-star. 

Guy became the darling of Quebec.
He owned Montreal.
They would have made him mayor. 
Fans called him "Le Demon Blond". 

He had been a remarkable junior player and fans expected him to be a remarkable pro. He didn't disappoint.

The speed.
The creative play-making.
The goals.
And, most importantly, the Stanley Cups, 

5 of them for "Flower". 

He spent his off-season celebrating his Cup wins on the beach on the French Riviera at St. Tropez. He looked like a movie star and acted like a rock star. 

However, before his NHL debut Toronto Star sports writer, Milt Dunnell claimed his career would be
"cut short" because Guy was a heavy smoker.

That aside, he scored more than a point-a-game in regular season play and playoffs over his 17-year career.

He wasn't a banger. He was creative and played the game at a level above everyone else. Don Cherry told me he was shocked at the way his Boston defenceman, Mike Milbury played Lafleur. "He slashed him, he butt-ended him, he cross-checked him, he punched him and Lafleur never ever looked at the referee for a penalty". 
"He was a true warrior."

He scored 50 goals and 100 points in 6 consecutive seasons -- the first NHL player to do so and every point was scored with flare and no over-the-top goal celebration like we see in today's game. He wouldn't want to embarrass his opponents or bring even more attention to himself. And, besides, he knew he'd score again. For him, as long as they won, it wasn't that big a deal.

He earned the Hart Trophy twice,
the Art Ross Trophy three times,
the Conn Smythe Trophy twice
and his peers selected him as the league's best player twice.

Not surprisingly,
he was selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame
immediately upon retirement,
without the normal wait period. 

After sitting at home for three years,
in true Lafleur fashion, he decided he wasn't done
and rejoined the NHL as an active player
with the NY Rangers for a year,
scoring 45 points in 67 games and two more years
with Les Canadiens arch-rival, Quebec Nordiques,
playing 98 games and earning 62 more points.

At the height of his career, he'd made a dubious statement for a Globe and Mail interview. He admitted that "hockey was number one in his life". 

I remember thinking that
probably wouldn't sit well with his wife.

When I met him for the first time following his retirement he seemed to be very comfortable just being Guy Lafleur and was hired by Molson Brewery Co. as their ambassador.

Le Gros Bill

Around the same time, 
I had the privilege of spending some time
with the most popular Montreal Canadien
of all time, Jean Beliveau.

He was and always will be the face of 
Les Canadiens.

Incidentally, now may be a good time to clarify my Montreal hockey player connection so you don't think I'm a groupie.

I've spent time with Lafleur, Henri & Rocket, Dickie Moore, Boom Boom, Cournoyer, Napier and Beliveau. We all know they were outstanding hockey players and wonderful ambassadors for the game.

I loved the excitement they created and the awareness they brought to the NHL but I hated each one of them with every fibre in my body.

To further confuse things and in spite of that in-grown hatred, super-Canadien executive Frank Selke Jr. and I became very close friends

I'm a Leaf and have suffered for decades because of Les Canadiens.

However, Beliveau was everything you and I have ever heard of him. 
Classy, articulate in both languages and very soft spoken. He somehow made me feel like we were long-time friends after only being with him for a few minutes.

Even governments understood the strength and importance of Jean Beliveau to French Canada. The Prime Minister at the time, Jean Chretien, asked if he would serve the country as the Queen's representative as Governor General.

Beliveau declined the opportunity stating he wanted to spend more time with his grandchildren. He lived in the same house at 155 Victoria Ave. in Longueuil from his first NHL season and his phone number was listed in the white pages of the local phone book -- out of respect for Jean and his family, nobody ever called that number.

I wanted to clarify something with him that I'd heard for years. It was common knowledge that Lafleur idolized Beliveau -- even wore his #4 throughout his junior career. I wanted to ask Jean if he was responsible for helping Lafleur understand his place in Quebec and in hockey. Particularly following a terrible auto accident that could have easily claimed Lafleur's life.

Jean told me he asked Lafleur to quit drinking alcohol. He asked him to "re-focus his life on his family". He told him to "spend time with his fans,
ignore no one and embrace the responsibility attached to his popularity". 

Beliveau's description of the new Guy Lafleur was exactly the celebrity I was looking for.

I wanted him to participate in a charity fundraiser in Toronto.

I'm a good salesman ... he very generously agreed to devote 2 full days of his time.

Day-one, he arrived in Toronto by train, his preferred means of travel from Montreal. 
He said it gave him a chance to talk to people.

He was in the line-up for a 7 pm fund-raiser to play an exhibition hockey game at Maple Leaf Gardens along with a group of former NHL player vs players from Ontario's various law enforcement agencies.

He agreed to meet me at his hotel on the day of the game to sign some photos. 

When I arrived he seemed very relaxed and I was nervy enough to think I could get away with a few personal questions. "When you played ... did you arrive at the Forum 8 hours before every game?" "No, just an hour or so. I needed time to prepare some sticks and check my equipment."

"I heard you smoked a hundred cigarettes a day.
He said, "No, I never smoked more than 20 in a day." 

He made me feel so comfortable I had to admit to him, "I hated you when you played." He laughed loudly and said, "Ya, everyone from Toronto tells me that."

I asked about his retirement from the game and the Canadiens. He said, "When I stood at centre ice with my family as my number was being raised to the rafters, I thought the scene was surreal ... I looked at the players on the bench ... what am I doing here?  I should be standing on the bench with them - I wasn't ready to leave the game."

A few more questions about some of his teammates and one big one for him. "Why weren't you ever appointed captain of the team". He said, he "told the team he didn't want the extra pressure of being the captain". I didn't ask if the position was offered to him but I certainly understood his reluctance to wear the "C" and be in that hockey pressure cooker.

I was out the door to let him get some rest.

I did a few more errands then arrived at Maple Leaf Gardens early, at 4 pm - well in advance of 7pm game. I entered through the back door on wood St. There were no security guards or ushers. The place was in darkness, eerie.
I headed for the row of hockey dressing rooms behind the penalty box.

I needed to drop off some pucks for NHL Old-timers' autographs and went to their assigned dressing room and pushed the door open.

Flower in full flight

The light was already on.
There, sitting by himself, in the middle of the room was Guy Lafleur.

He was fully dressed in his Old-timers' uniform with his skates on and tied up -- holding his stick by his side, smoking a cigarette.

In three hours, the 14,000 MLG fans would rise in unison to give #10 a deafening "Guy-Guy-Guy" ovation
as he was introduced to the same Toronto fans he'd terrorized throughout his career.

Day-two for Guy started early at 7 am.

2,000 attendees at the convention centre charity breakfast mimicked Guy's 
Maple Leaf Gardens welcome with another standing ovation. Guy! Guy! Guy!

Following the formal event, he stayed to sign autographs and take hundreds of photos with fans ... then the room's wait staff lined up ... then the kitchen staff with their high-hats emptied out of the kitchen for more autographs and pictures.

Everyone got a firm handshake and a look-in-your-eyes smile. Guy didn't make a move to the door until everyone was completely satisfied. To say he was approachable would be a disservice to him. He was over-the-top approachable.

Perfect 10

It was a big deal to meet Guy Lafleur.

He made everyone feel like it was a big deal
for him to meet them. 

Following breakfast, I'd made arrangements with the
Hockey Hall of Fame to use a very special display area of theirs for a photo.

I wanted a photo like no other.
A photo of him that I knew had never been taken before --
a photo that could make a statement, to sum up his fabulous career.

He'd agreed to sign and number each one. I'd then have them framed and offered for sale at auctions across the country to help the charity.

We'd take the picture before the Hall opened for business at 10 am - we'd be in and out in a matter of minutes.

The Hockey Hall of Fame created an identical Montreal Canadien dressing room as a display - exactly the same as the one that Guy and all of the Hab superstars had used for decades.

It's a fabulous exhibit.

I wanted our picture to feature Guy in his dressing room stall surrounded by all of the NHL trophies he'd earned.

In advance of our arrival, my photographer had beautifully lit the area around his locker. All his trophies had been removed from their display cases and put in place.

This photo was going to buzz.
His Hall of Fame blazer was waiting for him, hung beside his jersey.

When Guy arrived to see the set we'd prepared, he was a little overwhelmed.
 ... "All those trophies are mine?" He didn't have to say it ... his beaming face did.
Clearly, it was a very proud moment for him.

He looked like an 8-year old.

As he was getting re-acquainted with his trophies I started to hear people behind me, say ... "hey, there's Guy Lafleur ... is he part of the exhibit?"

"How come Guy Lafleur is here?"

Somehow, early arrival paying customers found their way into the back of the room. There were about ten of them. Thirty seconds later, there were twenty.  

He slipped into his jacket, took his seat amongst his glistening trophies and then disaster struck.

The photographer had a technical problem. He had to retrieve a part from his truck outside. He'd be a few minutes. I asked Guy if he would mind signing autographs while we waited. He was happy to oblige.

I made an announcement to the Hall visitors, which now included Hall president Scotty Morrison and his office staff, that Guy would be happy to sign autographs and pose for photos while we waited for the return of the photographer.

The visitors didn't need direction. They lined up in a single file and politely waited their turn to spend some time with "Flower".

Finally, the photographer re-appeared adjusted his equipment and we were ready to go.

The fans all resumed their former positions behind me clutching their autographs and stood very still to be witnesses of the special portrait that was about to be created.

I knelt beside the cameraman checking the photo's composition. Scotty Morrison's chin was almost perched on my shoulder - I could feel his breath.

The whole room was grinning expectantly at Guy. 
The photographer looked at me for the signal to start shooting.

Just then, with respect, the room of 40 people fell dead silent.
The only sound was the soft, rhythmic hum of the overhead air conditioning system.

Before I gave the photographer the "go" sign. 
Guy leaned into the silence of the room and said ...

"This is what this dressing room used to sound like just before we had to go out on the ice to play against the Broad Street Bullies!"

The room behind me erupted into an explosion of clapping and laughter.

"Shoot!" I said.

In most cases, when you want to be sure you take a really good photo, you take 20 and select the best one out of the bunch.

This time we only needed one-shot. The one below.

Following his final retirement, his wife asked him to get rid of his hockey memorabilia...everything.

He remembered what Jean Beliveau had told him about family focus.

He had a garage full of stuff at his mansion in Montreal.

He had hockey jerseys from when he was a small boy. Books, pictures, jerseys, pucks, sticks, thousands of items in boxes and crates. The garage shelves were lined with hockey stuff. He did what he was supposed to. Everything went to auction and he claimed a monster pay-day, probably more than he ever earned as a player.

He kept only one item. 

His fabulous portrait from that day at the Hall of Fame with me.

He's wearing his Hockey Hall of Fame jacket.
He's surrounded by all of the trophies he'd earned.
He doesn't have to play the Flyers anymore ... 
and he's smiling like an 8-year old.

Postscript:           

At some time in the future, you may share my good fortune.
You may meet or be in the company of Guy Lafleur.

Actually, if you ever hire a helicopter to take you from downtown Montreal to the airport, Guy could be your pilot. That's what he does these days - since he sold his interest in Mike's restaurants. However, you may have to wait a while as he recovers from successful quadruple bypass surgery that was performed in Montreal in Sept. 2019

Over the past 40 years, I've met some fabulous celebrities and super athletes.
Nobody compares to Guy. He's very generous with his time, he's very soft-spoken and interesting.

There's nothing phony about this guy, Guy.

Incidentally, he agreed to sign & number 50 copies of the large, 16" x 20" beautifully framed version of this photo - his copy hangs in his office.

This photo raised in excess of $40,000 to help Guy's fellow athletes at Special Olympics Canada.

He could conduct a clinic on how athletes of privilege and celebrities of any kind should behave.
                                                  He's the poster child for Super Star.

NOTE: On the floor at Guy's left knee, is the Pearson Trophy - the companion trophy to
the Hart Trophy ... awarded to the best player in the league as voted by his peers.
 Next to the Stanley Cup, it's the most important. Guy earned it twice.
This Trophy has now been renamed ... The Ted Lindsay Award.