Watch: Guy Lafleur Ties Game 7 With A Minute Left

There are 58 playoff goals to chose from in Guy Lafleur’s 128 playoff games career. This one, with some rare exceptions, might stand out above the rest.

Game 7 of the 1979 Semi-Finals between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins. Scotty Bowman versus the colorful Don Cherry. Captains Wayne Cashman versus Yvan Cournoyer and of course, the dominance of a 27 year old right winger named Guy Lafleur who had just finished another incredible season with 52 goals, 77 assists for 129 points. His 5th consecutive 50 goal/100 points season.

The series would become an all-time classic for many fans. A back and forth affair with both teams playing their hearts out and pushing the series to the limit.

Montreal would dominate games one and two but the Bruins, who had finished first in their division that season, would claw their ways back with a 2-1 win in game three and a 4-3 overtime win in game four thanks to the heroics of 38 year old veteran and future Hall of Famer Jean Ratelle.

Montreal would push Boston on the fence with a dominant 5-1 win in game 5 but the Bruins exploded in Game 6 with a convincing 5-2 win to force a game seven.

Game 7 would be a tight one from beginning to end. Rick Middleton opened the score at 10:09 on the powerplay to put the Bruins on the board first. But 4:10 later, Jacques Lemaire would do the same, also on the powerplay, to tie the game at one.

The Bruins would roar out of the gate in the second period, shaking the Canadiens players and fans alike as Wayne Cashman scores 27 seconds out of the frame. Cashman would score again at 16:12 to put the Bruins ahead 3-1. Rick Middleton now has 3 points in the game, having also assisted on both of Cashman’s goals. Cashman also would have 3 points having assisted on Middleton’s goal.

During this era of hockey, it was very secretive what would be said in the locker room. Even more than today. There are various rumors that Scotty Bowman blew a gasket. Others would report it was Guy Lafleur who gave a rare portrayal of anger. Regardless of what actually happened, the Canadiens had their game faces on in the third and came to play.

At 6:10 Mark Napier would graciously accept Lafleur’s pass to reduce the gap to 3-2. Exactly 2:06 later, “Pointu” Guy Lapointe would bury one on the powerplay thanks to another pass by Lafleur and tie things up 3-3.

At 16:01 Rick Middleton would break the crowd scoring his second of the night, and fourth point, giving the Bruins a 4-3 lead.

The Canadiens would fight and hit and scrape every ounce of energy they can find. The Bruins would eventually get called for one of the most famous penalties in NHL history. The now infamous “Too Many Men On The Ice Penalty”.

Then at 18:46 of the third period, on the powerplay with a slick drop pass by his longtime linesmate Jacques Lemaire, Guy Lafleur would send an entire province into a frenzy like he has done so many times before.

The Canadiens would hang on and we were on our way to overtime.

Then at 09:33 in overtime, Mario Tremblay would fly on the right side as if his life depended on it and fed Yvon Lambert who would score the biggest goal of his career and end Boston’s season.

This would also be Don Cherry’s last game at the helm of the Boston Bruins. After 5 years in Boston where he would collect a record of 231-105-64, and having won the Jack Adams Trophy in 1975-76 as Coach of the Year. He would coach the Colorado Rockies the following season. In his lone season in Colorado, he finished with a record of 19-48-13 before heading off to Coach’s Corner.

The Canadiens would then dispose of the New York Rangers in 5 games to win their 22nd Stanley Cup.

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