Quebec Premier Fran莽ois Legault says the province has offered to hold a national funeral for Montreal Canadiens great Guy Lafleur.
He told a news conference in Montreal today that all of Quebec is in mourning following the news of Lafleur鈥檚 death from cancer at age 70.
Legault says it will be up to Lafleur鈥檚 family to decide if they want the national honours, which were given to Canadiens stars Maurice Richard and Jean B茅liveau when they died.
He called Lafleur the greatest player in NHL history and invited the public to sign an online book of condolences on the government鈥檚 website.
Legault also says the government is looking at other tributes, including the possible renaming of a highway in the Outaouais region, where Lafleur was raised.
He spoke next to a framed, autographed Lafleur jersey and said the player, who won five Stanley Cups with the Habs, helped show Quebecers how to be winners.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to win if we want to have a culture of winners, and Guy Lafleur was a winner,鈥� he said.
Hockey fans in Montreal gathered Friday near the Bell Centre to pay tribute to Lafleur, who was described as a player who represented Quebec with grace on and off the ice.
Bouquets of flowers, notes and a pair of hockey gloves were placed at the base of the Lafleur statue located outside the Montreal Canadiens鈥� arena, as a steady trickle of fans stopped by to pay their respects following the announcement of his death at age 70.
Dominique Vinson, 64, said the flashy star with the scoring touch was his hero growing up.
鈥淚t was almost a guarantee he would score every time he鈥檇 go down the ice with the puck,鈥� Vinson said. 鈥淗e was one of a kind.鈥�
He said Lafleur鈥檚 career hearkens back to the Canadiens鈥� glory days, when fans could count on the Quebec-born superstar known as 鈥渢he Flower鈥� to bring the Stanley Cup home to the province. Vinson said that in later years, he came to respect Lafleur for his demeanour off the ice and community work.
鈥淗e did represent (Quebecers) very well on the hockey scene and also as a human being,鈥� Vinson said. 鈥淗e was a nice man; no wonder he was my hero.鈥�
The fans on Friday who visited the Bell Centre spanned all ages, from toddlers in tiny Habs jerseys to 73-year-old Nona Thomassie, who laid a tiny Inukshuk figurine at the base of the statue.
She said her family in her northern Quebec hometown of Kangirsuk had all been big fans of Lafleur 鈥渂ecause he was a fast and a good scorer.鈥�
Len Gladson, a former Montrealer who now lives in Vancouver, said it was Lafleur鈥檚 grace, as much as his skill, that set him apart as a player.
鈥淭he way he gracefully skated and got open somehow 鈥� he wasn鈥檛 the fastest and he didn鈥檛 have the greatest shot but he just knew where to be,鈥� Gladson said.
Some fans outside the arena were too young to have seen Lafleur play. They included Patricia N茅ron, who stopped by to lay flowers along with a handwritten note. While she never saw Lafleur play live, she grew up hearing stories about his exploits.
鈥淗e was my father鈥檚 idol,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I was young, he was telling me stories of what Guy Lafleur did instead of telling me bedtime stories.鈥�
脡liane Rioux, 16, said she started to appreciate Lafleur while watching old Canadiens games during the pandemic. Doing so connected her to her father, who is a big Lafleur fan, she said.
鈥淲e pass hockey symbols down through the family,鈥� she said.
Legault said it will be up to Lafleur鈥檚 family to decide if they want the national honours, which were given to Canadiens stars Maurice Richard and Jean B茅liveau when they died. The government, he added, is also looking at other tributes, including the possible renaming of a highway in the Outaouais region, where Lafleur was raised.
鈥擬organ Lowrie, The Canadian Press
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