INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER
A celebration of one of the most electric and magnetic hockey players of all time—the incomparable Guy Lafleur—in the words of his peers and admirers, from Joe Sakic to Chris Nilan.
Foreword by Wayne Gretzky.
Guy Lafleur. The name alone sizzles on the tongue, eliciting memories of Lafleur’s tremendous flow (in Quebec he is nicknamed “The Demon Blond”), his on-ice flair, his fiery play, and his incredible touch. He was fast and furious, the modern-day version of the legendary Maurice “Rocket” Richard. Lafleur played for the Canadiens during the Habs’s fabulous seventies era when they won multiple Stanley Cups. Lafleur was the ’70s, from his wardrobe to his hairstyle to his sideburns. He not only fought for the league lead in scoring—he was known to go to discos and even put out his own disco album. He absolutely mesmerized a generation of fans, changed the culture, and has influenced future draft classes ever for a generation.
For the first time, authors Steven Finn (who played with Lafleur) and Pierre Gince reveal an intimate portrait of Lafleur, the player and the man, in the words of those who enjoyed him, or who spent all their ice time pointlessly chasing him down the wing. Every chapter evokes different memories of the man nicknamed in English Canada as The Flower. Gilbert Perreault, who battled Lafleur at centre for almost two decades, is here. As is Scotty Bowman, who coached Lafleur, and Larry Robinson and Serge Savard, the Hall of Fame defencemen who skated behind him. Joe Sakic and Steven Finn recount their days playing with Lafleur when he was a Quebec Nordique. Lanny McDonald and Darryl Sittler share their thoughts on Lafleur’s rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In all, there are forty profiles by forty prominent players, coaches, family, and media, all of whom admired le Demon Blond.
Lafleur - The original Flower!
"I’m a Lafleur. My great-grandfather was Charles Eugene Lafleur. On Saturday nights, as a young boy in New Brunswick, I’d sit cross-legged in front of the TV watching the Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada. I remember watching Guy Lafleur flying down the ice with his hair flowing in the wind. My father would look up and tell me, “That’s your cousin. ” For years, I believed and was proud of that. I’d tell classmates. And I’d be mocked. As an adult, I started questioning if I was or not. I would look at the origin story and would find flaws. Once I did the Ancestry DNA test and started looking at family history, I could find no connection between my Lafleur family and Guy’s Lafleur family. It was ruse told by a drunk parent for kicks and giggles. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of Lafleur: The Legend by Steven Finn & Pierre Gince. This book is to be published on October 14, 2025. This is a collection of 40 interviews from former teammates, rivals, coaches, executives and family members reflecting on the impact that Guy Lafleur had both on and off the ice. The authors make a point in the Preface that a lot of what you read here will be repetitive. And that’s only because Guy Lafleur had the same impact on each and every person he met whether that was a teammate, rival, or fan. Ten stars retired to the rafters at the Forum."
