Guy "The Flower" Lafleur was born on September 20, 1951 in Thurso, Quebec, Canada. Growing up in Quebec he idolized Jean Beliveau, the Montreal Canadiens great. Lafleur's junior career in the QMJHL was capped by his final two seasons as a Quebec Rempart with him scoring 233 goals. He was drafted first overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1971. He jumped straight to the big club and progressed over the first few years. He came into his own during the 1974-1980 time frame by putting together six straight seasons with 50 goals or more. During that stint Lafleur won a couple of Art Ross and Hart trophies along with four Stanley Cup championships.
Lafleur scored 518 goals and 1,246 points as a Montreal Canadien, putting him as the leading scorer in franchise history. He retired during the 1984-85 season and was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. He decided to make a comeback during the 1988-89 season and played 67 games with the New York Rangers. He went on to spend two more years with the Quebec Nordiques before retiring for good at the end of 1990-91 season. During his prime, Guy Lafleur had a unique combination of speed, style and scoring touch that made him one of the most exciting NHL players.
