Panache was the word for Guy Lafleur, a towering figure in Montreal hockey history who swooped down the right wing for the Canadiens in the 1970s, golden locks flowing behind, before freezing many a goaltender with his deadly slap shot.
Lafleur, often described as a rock star on the NHL’s most glamorous team of the era, died after three years of undergoing treatment for lung cancer, his sister Lise Lafleur announced Friday. He was 70 years old.
In Lafleur’s prime, the Montreal Canadiens were arguably the greatest team in league history. They won four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1976-79 with the 1976-77 team losing just eight of 80 games in the regular season. Fans still argue whether that version of the Canadiens or the one in the 1950s that won five consecutive Cups is the best.