Canadian hockey legend Guy Lafleur will be honored with a state funeral in Montreal, Quebec premier Francois Legault announced Sunday.
Lafleur died Friday at age 70. He was a native of Quebec and played 16 of his 17 NHL seasons in the province.
Legault said Lafleur’s family agreed to the state funeral, which will be held May 3 at 11 a.m. at the Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral in downtown Montreal. Prior to the funeral, Lafleur will lie in state at the Bell Centre, with visitation on May 1 from noon to 8 p.m. and May 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Nicknamed “The Flower,” Lafleur was a five-time Stanley Cup champion for the Montreal Canadiens (1973, 1976-79) and twice won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP (1976-77, 1977-78). He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1977 as MVP of the playoffs.
After 14 seasons with the Canadiens, he played one season with the New York Rangers and two with the Quebec Nordiques before retiring in 1991.
A Hockey Hall of Fame member, Lafleur had been battling lung cancer, and other ailments, since 2019.
Fellow former Canadiens stars Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau also had state funerals in 2000 and 2014, respectively.
–Field Level Media