Man Lafleur, the dynamic, freewheeling wing who helped lead the dynastic Montreal Canadiens to 5 Stanley Cup championships within the Seventies, together with 4 in a row, died on Friday close to Montreal. He was 70.
The Canadiens introduced his loss of life however didn’t give a trigger. A cigarette smoker throughout his taking part in profession, Lafleur had been identified with lung most cancers.
Lafleur was a magician on ice, a inventive drive who may deftly break up defenses. He was the primary participant in Nationwide Hockey League historical past to attain a minimum of 50 targets and 100 factors in six consecutive seasons — a streak that was topped by the 136 factors (56 targets and 80 assists) he totaled within the 1977-78 season.
He amassed 560 targets and 793 assists over 17 seasons, 14 of them with the Canadiens, one with the New York Rangers and two with the Quebec Nordiques. He gained the Artwork Ross Trophy for main the league in scoring thrice, and the Hart Memorial Trophy twice, because the N.H.L.’s Most worthy participant. He was inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame in 1988. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada wrote on Twitter that Lafleur “was not like anybody else on the ice,” including, “His pace, talent and scoring have been exhausting to consider.”
Lafleur’s loss of life comes every week after that of one other nice scorer, Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders.
A whole obituary can be printed shortly.
