Meet the “New Béliveau” a young star named Guy Lafleur according to this 1971 report | CBC Sports

Watch this full length feature from 1971 on a skilled young prospect by the name of Guy Lafleur and how many think he will be come the next Jean Béliveau.
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[@claudiocorleone7856]

130 goals in 62 games! Insane at any level !

[@arthurjayweissassociates2631]

As a 43 year old American man who didn't really get into hockey until the 1994-1995 season, and learned to appreciate its past, this was a VERY enjoyable watch. RIP to Mr. Lafleur and may God be with his family, friends, teammates and coaches during this time.

[@GTsuji]

I saw Lafleur in his prime. One lasting memory of him. Montreal was trailing Boston in a game 7 playoff game but he willed his team to a win. I’d never seen anything like it or since. He simply refused to lose. You could see it in his play on the ice and on his face when he sat on the bench. He was not going to lose that game. And I am a lifelong Leaf fan.

[@GTsuji]

@@BlackWolfSpirit Wow. What a game to see in person. That was truly a game for the ages.

[@marksantucci4230]

@@GTsuji yes it has to be!

[@fellspoint9364]

May God bless Guy Lafleur….truly a remarkable man who will be sorely missed.

[@jacklawer6389]

Brought tears to my eyes Good old days no cell phones. Lol

[@Stoich827]

It's truly a sad day for Montreal, Canada and Hockey! Back in the 70's/80's there was Howie Meeker, Peter Puck and Guy Lafleur!!! Being a Maple Leaf fan i remember watching those great playoff battles of the late 70's! Guy was so incredible too watch! Lol smoking between intermissions! Lol ahhhhh how i long for the good old days! RIP Guy (The Flower) Lafleur RIP Mike Bossy 😪

[@TOCC50]

Life was a million times better back then

[@1snaj]

Hockey Night in Canada.. Can’t forget Showdown either.. We sat around a black-and-white TV in my basement in Buffalo New York.. Playing cards watching Sabres vs Leafs and Montreal …RIP Guy Lafleur

[@dbrooker8816]

Everytime i played street hockey i was Lafleur ,RIP my childhood GOAT

[@secondguess3128]

"Great playoff battles of the late '70s?" Between the Leafs and Canadiens? You mean the back-to-back sweeps in 1978-79? Those "great" battles?

[@oscarjetson128]

Amazing documentary! Everything that was predicted for Lafleur, came true... and more!!!

[@wmarkdyer]

Same for Gretzky, Lemieux, Crosby, MacKinnon, McDavid. Happens a lot with hockey. 🙂

[@prezakid9]

What a treat to watch this incredible piece of hockey history. I’ve been a huge Guy fan for more years then I care to admit, lol. Growing up in Boston I was indoctrinated into the mindset that the Canadians were my hated rivals but I always loved Guy.

[@milkilo4298]

Born in Quebec in the mid-20's, my French-Canadian dad, may he rest in peace, was a Habs fan all his life ( that's 94 years right there) he saw Béliveau and the Rocket play in their prime but his all-time favorite player and to him, the best in history was Bobby Orr

[@Dan-nt2yb]

I was born in ‘62 and was lucky to watch his entire career. I met him a few times while I was working at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. He was the best. Period.

[@wmarkdyer]

Loved how Guy skated. He was a major Canadian hero

[@fg8512]

Rip to a great one, i was fortunate enough to meet him in 2007 and skate with him in an event in Montreal. What they say about him is true, very generous man he would stop and sign cards, hats, jerseys for hours and i mean for hours since he was always the most popular man in the room, alot like his idol Mr.Beliveau. A true legend.

[@longhorns4ever824]

the 76-77 canadiens are the best team in hockey history

[@twatttheworldaccordingtoto4339]

Sorry, but that is the 2002 Detroit Red Wings.

[@longhorns4ever824]

@@twatttheworldaccordingtoto4339 habs lost a total of 10 games for the regular season and playoffs combined and had a 216 goal differential. 132 points in the regular season. still records to this day.

[@peter12246]

@@twatttheworldaccordingtoto4339 The 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens are considered the best team in modern NHL history. They played 80 games that season and only lost eight of them while outscoring opponents 387-171. The Montreal Canadiens hold the NHL record for fewest losses in a single season. A few of the numbers: * Nine future Hockey Hall of Famers were part of that Canadiens team, 11 if you include general manager Sam Pollock and coach Scotty Bowman. * The Canadiens' points percentage over 80 regular-season games was .825. * The Canadiens lost only once in 40 home games (33-1-6), 4-3 to the Boston Bruins on Oct. 30 -- "the night before Halloween," Bowman said with a chuckle. * They scored an NHL-high 387 goals and surrendered a League-low 171, their goal differential a goofy plus-216. * The Canadiens' 132 points remain an NHL record 40 years later. * Following a 7-3 road loss to the Bruins on Jan. 17, Montreal lost once the rest of the regular season, 4-1 at the Buffalo Sabres on March 6. That's one loss in 34 games. Most Standings points in a NHL season by a team - guinness book of world records - The record for most points in a season is 132 established by the Montreal Canadiens (Canada) during the 1976-77 season by virtue of the team’s 60-8-12 record.

[@secondguess3128]

@@twatttheworldaccordingtoto4339 No, not even close. That Red Wings team had 16 fewer points during the regular season, losing more than twice as many games -- then lost 7 games in the playoffs, compared to only 2 by the '77 Habs. I'll grant you that the Wings had to play an extra round, and that talent in the '70s was diluted because of the WHA and scarcity of American and European players -- but the 2002 NHL had 30 teams, same as the 1977 NHL and WHA combined, and all-time greatness is measured by level of dominance, not by excuses about quality of competition. I imagine you'll also hear from fans of the 1950s Canadiens and 1980s Oilers -- after all, another measure of all-time greatness is winning consecutive Stanley Cups.

[@marksantucci4230]

@@twatttheworldaccordingtoto4339 No Longhorns is 1,000% correct were the greatest team ever?

[@robertbonsai7176]

Wow, at or born in 62, I started to get into hockey in 70, I remember him, too young to realize he was a rookie, I remember him, coming up. To be drafted by his idol team would of been a dream come true. Montreal was my favourite team, in fact, me and my dad watched hockey night in canada every Saturday night. Only time I was allowed to stay up. Don’t really recall lasting past second period. But in 72, I remember to this day, it was later in afternoon, we went down to local Sears and my dad bought a 20” colour TV. Wow, first game we saw was a Montreal and Boston. The colours yellows and red. It was great.

[@claudiocorleone7856]

The 1970’s as a teenager for me…… 72 Canada/Russia ….Elvis…..Guy lafleur ……Gary Carter…..76 Olympics …..stanley cups.

[@nicbuo8319]

Thank you for this. Feels so special.

[@alextol4614]

A big fan from Vancouver. Use to watch him walk to the tunnel between shifts and have a smoke. RIP.

[@milkilo4298]

I knew that he smoked between periods but between shifts? Lol! That,makes an even bigger fan of his somehow. Who else could get away with that? No 4th liners I can think of

[@dt668]

An artist, pure and simple

[@renelariviere8659]

We gonna miss you Guy,Ken spot on you are a great.

[@doublestrokeroll]

Nice! Thanks CBC for putting this out.

[@deanoppergoalieclinics834]

Rocket Richard,The great Jean Be;iveau, then Guy LaFleur amazing history! This is a great video! Also loved seeing scouting of Richard Martin & Marcell Dionne!

[@danielledumont6536]

Je t'aime Quebec City, Montreal,, and totally miss the Forum. We lived there when I was growing up.

[@louismeloche3857]

Great clip, from a time when the CBC was relevant.

[@trevwaz8177]

Do not no whats going on here? They got the old barn from Selkirk, MB in the video that I played in for 30 years. WTF does Guy have to do with that?

[@russellh2513]

@@trevwaz8177 they were just showing small towns and rinks that players come from

[@Kurt-ci1dk]

Still is. Bit of a snarky take on your part.

[@louismeloche3857]

@@Kurt-ci1dk look what they've become Kurt. Back in the 70's and 80's, you could actually believe The National.

[@Kurt-ci1dk]

@@louismeloche3857 i am far more concerned with extremist media...like fox. The national is doing yeoman work for Democracy.

[@brianbeaupre8493]

RIP LEGEND

[@mejeremiejohnmartin9334]

On va jamais t'oublier Guy

[@christrudell7966]

#10 Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadiens R.I.P.

[@f.w.2054]

Larger than life, Gretzky before Gretzky, Lafleur the flower. From a Bs fan, R.I.P.

[@milkilo4298]

If that Bs don't stand for Bruins, kudos you got me

[@f.w.2054]

Stands for Bruins not bullshit! Sorry for the lack of punctuation!

[@danielupsdell2697]

Very sad Rest In Peace Guy

[@intellivisionmaster7999]

Grew up in the 70’s in Montreal. Guy was our Hero. He showed up every single night. When we needed that big goal it was Guy Lafleur every time. Our 4 consecutive cup banners (‘76-‘’79) are hanging in the Bell Centre because of #10! Thank you Guy! RIP!

[@milkilo4298]

Hear ye

[@dmlat2205]

Grew up in the US during the 70's watching hockey night in Canada. Was a bruins fan, but have such great memories watching Guy!

[@stratovani]

To this day I still think that in the 1972 Canada-Russia series Team Canada should have had a line of Gilbert Perreault on left wing, Marcel Dionne at center, and Guy Lafleur on right wing. Maybe not great defensively, but their sheer speed would have driven the Russians crazy!

[@ВалентинОвчаренко-г1ъ]

Super Star! My faworite plalyer! Greeting from Ukraine! RIP, Mr. Flower!

[@kesharisuthar3268]

Guy Lafleur was a true legend, great personality and a magical hockey star. His untimely departure has left us all in a deeply sorrowful condition. Our sincerest condolences to the bereaved family. Almighty, kindly take the departed noble soul under Your benevolent fold. 😪😪😪😪

[@kjlahti782]

Wonderful that they were able to find this video

[@patrickquintin4664]

Narrated by Montreal radio and TV legend Jack Curran.

[@mode1charlie170]

Loved this…thanks for posting…

[@fredlaforge1515]

Salut Guy 😢

[@garysullivan3144]

Bruins fan here. Guy killed us! What a player RIP

[@secondguess3128]

Takes me back to childhood in Quebec city -- Lafleur truly had the town by the tail in those years. Did a double-take when the film showed he had his own apartment -- junior players are almost always billeted with families -- but he was rewarded financially for his team's box-office success (same as players like Lemieux and LaFontaine in later years). Still, $20,000? That's about $145,000 now. Adolescence and young adult years followed in Montreal, with a ringside seat to "Guy, Guy" and the dynasty of the 1970s -- have come to realize during the last 30 years how spoiled I was as a fan of hockey and the Canadiens. We all knew Flower was a chain-smoker, but 70 still seems young for such an indefatigable warrior to depart the so-called mortal coil. To build on the comments of Prime Minister Trudeau, people of my generation feel older with Lafleur's passing, and our youth seems much further away.

[@paulcadogan7153]

Guy was never a Beliveau. He was Guy Lafleur and a worthy successor to Jean. He played his own game very well.

[@secondguess3128]

Lafleur didn't measure up to Beliveau's level of off-ice class -- really, who could? -- but it's to his credit that he never stopped trying. Many stories abound about Flower supporting worthy causes and reaching out to people in distress. On the ice, however, an extremely strong case can be made that he was the greatest Montreal Canadien of all time.

[@rustymiller7200]

The 1971-72 season was when I decided to seriously start following NHL hockey. I then bought a paperback, an NHL recap and pre-season preview. The first sentence went "Remember this name, because you will hear it often in the future: Guy Lafleur"

[@rustymacneil3227]

A memory of days gone by. Made Saturday nights what Canada is. R.I.P

[@mathewz2078]

No wonder this guy struggled out of the gate, imagine all of this media coverage as a junior

[@marcweiss3098]

We lost both Guy and Bossy way too young thanks to smoking. So sad to see their lives cut short. They are truly missed.

[@Traumatree]

@17:02 What Mercier is saying is exactly what the CH has been doing for the last 25 years, and it is exactly what has happened to many of the young talents they've got.

[@secondguess3128]

It used to be a point of organizational pride that rookies all put in some time in the minors before graduating to the big club -- considering the Canadiens had won 5 Stanley Cups in the previous 7 seasons when this film was made, it was plain they didn't suffer from this custom (contrary to what a clearly cynical Mercier seems to be implying). As it turned out, Lafleur was the first Habs frosh in memory to skip the AHL. As for the last few decades, figure stiffs like Wickenheiser, Galchenyuk and Kotkaniemi might have been better off with some minor-league seasoning?

[@petten2023]

Interesting. Montréal. Last summer got Guy Lafleur books for 2 dollars at a garage sale . L'ombre et la lumière. By Georges Hubert Germain.. I love it specially for 2 bucks haha

[@richardknapp7003]

LIKE SO MANY VERY GOOD PLAYERS WHO COME OUT OF P.Q HE WAS ABOVE THE REST.P.Q.PRODUCES THE BEST HOCKEY PLAYERS IN MANY TIMES, BUT HE WAS AMONG THE BEST OF THE BEST.(GOD BLESS) AND R.I.P.✌💌

[@blueshirtshockey93]

God Bless Guy!!!!! 🏒👏🏼👌❤️🙏🏼

[@Lochaberien]

Also being from Thurso, this is the first time I've seen this superb documentary. What is the name of the boy who played the role of Guy Lafleur in this video? Thanks

[@jocelyngoulet2644]

Rest in peace...Habs will never have another player like Guy Lafleur!

[@cameronpickard7456]

seemed like a good.... guy

[@floxy20]

Love those helmets. Party hats!

[@saifonlawrence2044]

Nice to see the CBC allowing comments when dealing with straight facts and not propagating Liberal lies.

[@trevwaz8177]

whole video is a lie

[@secondguess3128]

Well . . . it's allowing YOUR unhinged comment.

[@jload1]

RIP Guy

[@marksantucci4230]

Better time period real phones pens being used, so Thurso is on the Ontario side 25 miles from Ottawa? how far is Thurso from Sudbury , Thunderbay at 13:02 do I see a Future rink? great skates , Coach Bowman ,

[@secondguess3128]

No, Thurso is in Quebec. It's on the north shore of the Ottawa/Outaouais River.

[@marksantucci4230]

@@secondguess3128 So it must be closer to Quebec than Ontario ? even for 25 miles?

[@secondguess3128]

@@marksantucci4230 Check a map, Mark. Thurso is on the Quebec side of the river (which also divides Ottawa and Gatineau) -- the other side IS Ontario.

[@VMAN00ful]

15:57 Wow. I didn't know he could throw such a vicious right. LoL

[@kagura222]

Repose en Paix Guy

[@prestonlindbeck1197]

RIP Le Demon Blonde 1951-2022

[@suzannechabot8171]

blond - does not take an 'e', démon is masculine. Blond est un adjectif qui s'accorde avec démon qui est masculin!

[@joeq.public281]

9:36 all the sudden he was a left-handed shot? 🤷‍♂️

[@quiricomazarin476]

The good ole days when the priest faced the alter.

[@secondguess3128]

If we want to be cynical, the film leans heavily on old tropes of francophone Quebecers being simple, God-fearing folk whose only avenue to success ran through hockey. And could you imagine a news feature today making such casual reference to all the "pretty girls" in Quebec city?

[@samthemacman]

When CBC actually was pretty decent as a broadcaster.

[@sergioleon8474]

Lefluer was a different type of player than Beliveau. Mario Lemieux more like Beliveau,

[@renelariviere8659]

Men

[@savoirancien4093]

Is he the new Connor Bedard?

[@paulsontag9233]

The goalies look laughably tiny in these vintage games!

[@bermont]

RIP Lafleur ... by the way did anyone notice the song at 17:22 is a complete ripoff of A Whiter Shade of Pale?

[@bermont]

@@truthhandler6828 A very bad version lol

[@nschwagler]

don't make corny docs like this anymore---briiliante!

[@michaelcanney7218]

Wasn't even the best player in the draft that year

[@jamesanthony5681]

Who then? Dionne? Larry Robinson?

[@dextrosebizarre]

Dionne won rookie of the year. But Bowman was benching Lafleur.

[@dextrosebizarre]

Dionne ended his carrer second after after Howe in goals and points, Lafleur won 4 Stanley Cup inscrire. Two great players.

[@jamesanthony5681]

@@dextrosebizarre Actually, Ken Dryden won the Calder Award for best rookie in the 1971-72 season. Lafleur ended up as the greatest player selected in the 1971 draft.

[@secondguess3128]

@@dextrosebizarre Lafleur actually won 5 Stanley Cups (the first in 1973). He won 3 Art Ross Trophies as league-leading scorer, and 2 Hart Trophies as MVP, while being named to the NHL first all-star team 6 times. Dionne had an unquestionably better start to his career, but his final tally was 1 Art Ross, 2 first-team all-star citations -- and no Hart Trophy or Stanley Cup.