“…end of an era” – Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur lies in state at Bell Center, fans mourn Canadiens legend
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Guy Lafleur
The legendary ice hockey player, Guy Lafleur lies in state as emotions run wild in Montreal on Sunday, as thousands of Guy’s fans gather to pay tribute to the Montreal Canadians legend. His fans line up outside to share stories about this iconic figure and to say one last goodbye to the hockey icon. Guy Lafleur helped the Canadians win Stanley Cups five times in the 1970s, and died at the age of 70 after nearly a 3-year battle with cancer.
A national funeral will be held on Tuesday at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral. Archbishop Lepine will preside for the funeral. Lepine confirmed that present and past hockey members may attend along with a few prominent political figures. He noted, “He wanted to be on the same ground, he didn’t want to be over the people, he wanted to be with them”. He further added, “This funeral, is about being with the people. It’s the atmosphere that is very important,”.
“He was a source of inspiration for thousands” – Lafleurs tribute at Bell Center
Jocelyn Godard and Stephane Malenfant from the Montreal suburb arrived at 2 a.m. E.T. to claim their spot at the front of the line. Jocelyn noted, “I came to see Guy, to thank him for everything we experienced through him,”. “The dreams of little kids when we played hockey, the Saturday nights spent watching him, every slash and check he endured, the advice he had for kids at hockey schools.” Jocelyn continued,
“He was a source of inspiration for thousands and thousands of young Quebecers like me, so the least I could do was to come [and] spend 10 hours waiting in line to pay my respects to No. 10.”
Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1988, Guy Lafleur was selected first overall by Montreal in the 1971 NHL Draft and spent his first 14 out of 17 NHL seasons with the Montreal before playing for the New York Rangers, and later Quebec Nordiques, as stated on nhl.com. Yvon Lambert and Rejean Houle, the Canadian alumni reportedly noted,
“What’s happening outside is incredible,”. “That’s Guy Lafleur’s life. The generosity, the kindness that he showed, that was something else. You see that today, and you’ll see that again tomorrow and Tuesday. The organization has done a great job. The presence in the Bell Centre is incredible. It’s beautiful, it’s remarkable.”
Montreal mayor Valerie Plante noted, “It’s very beautiful, it’s touching, and it shows how much Guy Lafleur was loved,”. “I’ve spoken to a lot of citizens over the past few days and a lot of people wrote about how proud we were of Guy Lafleur. He was a proud man, he was a very proud hockey player, very talented, and he brought a lot of that pride to Quebecers that we all need.
“Losing him is sad but he definitely touched a lot of people with his generosity, his authenticity, his passion, and of course, his talent.”
Also Read| Guy Lafleur, Lanny McDonald and Kim St-Pierre named to Order of Hockey in Canada
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Kaushani Chatterjee
(2140 Articles Published)