We Never Really Say Good – Bye .
They came for different reasons.
Thousands – 16 , 000 to be exact . They showed at Le Centre Bell yesterday to say good- bye to Guy Lafleur as he skated his last game as a member of the Habs alumni in Montreal.
Lafleur did not disappoint . Just as he did not disappoint on so many nights during his hockey career as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Lafleur scored a hat trick . No – he did not disappoint.
After an admirable three season inauguration into the league and into his fourth – he did not disappoint . He scored fifty goals that season , the first of five more to come.
He did not disappoint when asked to carry the torch that Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau so proudly toted over mountains of opposition . He took that torch and held it high so an entire generation of children could grow to wear the hopes and dreams of becoming a Montreal Canadien.
If his team was struggling , he would not disappoint as he would gather his legs beneath him and carry our Fathers and our Grandfathers out of his zone . The burden of the legacy of the Montreal Canadiens never slowing his progress as he dashed by opponents with blinding speed. Stickhandling past opposing defencemen as if they were the pylons that help shape his career as a youth.
Everyone on the edge of their seats would witness Lafleur doing something on the ice that was new each time. A different feint , a different speed – a different way to score a goal or an uncanny pass to an equally astonished team mate. A slapshot that saw no equal in his day . A shot that would transform a game into legend that would be passed on from generation to generation.
His hair . His hair forever blowing in the breeze . A breeze generated by his own desire to succeed and a passion for winning. Time and time again – his fellow Canadiens could be seen shaking their heads as Lafleur would defy normalcy and discover the paths needed for victory.
When his ambitions were reached , whether a goal – a win or a Stanley Cup , Lafleur received his accolades on the ice in an embarrassed manner. Surprised perhaps by his feats or the willingness to share the joy – the man , the God , Le Demon Blond , the Flower – taught us humility.
No fists in the air, no chest pounding . He would skate briskly into the arms of his comrades and almost hide amongst their glee. A champion `s champion .
Thousands were at the center of the true hockey universe yesterday to introduce their children to Guy Lafleur. To pass on memories of their idol and to put actions to a Youtube clip.
Lafleur at 59 years of age is and always will be Guy Lafleur at 19. To his fans , to his team mates and to all the opposing players that he beat night after night . Every time any person from his era plays shinny hockey or in an Oldtimers game – they remember Guy Lafleur. As they grab a puck and make just one deke past just one player – they become Guy Lafleur. If they take one shot that eludes a net minder with incredible accuracy – they are for one brief moment , Guy Lafleur.
Think back to the four Stanley Cups that the Montreal Canadiens won in the mid to late seventies. Images of Cournoyer , Serge Savard and Gainey come to mind . The Cup high above their heads in victorious fashion. Does an image of Lafleur holding the Cup come to mind ? That was not his job .
16 , 000 came for different reasons . They all left for the same one.
To never really say good – bye.