Rangers to honor Guy Lafleur, welcome back Martin St. Louis
The New York Rangers will pay their respects to Guy Lafleur prior to tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. The Flower passed away on April 22 at the age of 70.
Lafleur was one of the all-time greats who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. He was part of the Montreal Canadiens dynasty in the 1970s that won five straight Stanley Cups. His accolades also include 3 Art Ross Trophies (Points Leaders), 2 Hart Trophies (MVP), 3 Ted Lindsay Awards (NHLPA Outstanding Player), and 1 Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP).
For his career, Lafleur recorded 1353 points in 1126 games played.
Rangers to honor Guy Lafleur
Guy Lafleur left the Montreal Canadiens and hockey but four year later, he decided to come back and join the New York Rangers for the 1988-89 season.
”When I left Montreal, I was kind of fed up with the game,” he said about his return. ”But then I started to enjoy the game again, and I wanted to give it a try before I got too old.”
That year, the freshly minted hall of famer scored 45 points with 18 goals in 67 games.
His most memorable moment that year came when he returned to the Montreal Forum on February 4. In front of an adoring crowd, Habs fans gave him a standing ovation that seemed to last forever.
Lafleur did not disappoint on that night scoring two goals and adding an assist in a 7-5 loss for the Rangers.
“In Montreal, he went to the bathroom and everyone knew it,” laughs former defenseman Ron Greschner, another member of those 1988-89 Rangers. “I think he enjoyed the anonymity here, because he was coming back to play and he didn’t have to worry about the attention.”
La Presse
Update: The Rangers moment of silence for Lafleur
Martin St. Louis returns to the Garden
The Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Martin St. Louis is make a return to the Rangers tonight.
MSL only spent a little over a year with the Rangers but it happened during the 2014 Stanley Cup run. Unfortunately they fell to the Los Angeles Kings in 5 games.
One of the biggest moments of that playoff year was St. Louis scoring in OT in Game 4.
NHL GAMES TONIGHT
The NHL docket has 5 games on tap. Check out The Daily Goal Horn for today’s TV schedule. Click Here.