Guy Lafleur's undeniable legacy as a superstar

MONTREAL -- To be the best, you have to outwork the rest.

It's a lesson Guy Lafleur understood quite early in his life.
Georges-Hébert Germain, author of the book "Guy Lafleur, L'ombre Et La Lumière", sets the scene.
A young boy can be seen walking down Rue Jacques Cartier in Thurso, among the morning fog. He takes a right down Rue Bourget and quickly hops across the railroad tracks to find himself standing behind the local arena, which has since been given his namesake.
The arena is locked, but Lafleur has a plan; he located three loose planks along the chute used to remove excess snow from the ice.
He pushes the planks aside and tosses his hockey bag inside. He's greeted by total darkness. He slowly makes his way through the maze, until he's tipped off by a familiar smell; a fresh patch of ice.
Careful not to make much noise, he works on his puckhandling and skating. But the temptation to launch a few pucks off the boards is too much to resist for the future Hall of Famer.

He takes a shot. A boisterous sound echoes throughout the arena. He loves what he hears. He takes another. And another.
"What are you doing here?" yelled the arena manager, Ti-Paul Meloche. "It's six in the morning! How did you even get in?"
"I went through the wall," explained Lafleur.
"Oh, on top of it, you go through walls now?" replied the pajama-clad Meloche.
Meloche strikes a deal with Lafleur. He won't secure the loose planks as long as Lafleur keeps the secret entrance to himself and keeps the noise down when he hits the ice.
But it isn't charity. For every hour of ice time, Lafleur must perform an hour of work at the arena.
Most hockey fans have at least one Lafleur story, whether it be a personal interaction, a Stanley Cup memory, or a story bordering on mythology that was meant to bestow his greatness upon future generations.
A legend among legends, Lafleur's impact on the extended Canadiens family and the hockey world in general goes beyond his dominant play on the ice.
"I was lucky," explained Canadiens owner Geoff Molson. "I got to see him from the very beginning. I was able to watch him as a young kid. And in those days, you look up at this big hockey player in admiration, and you can't believe how privileged you are to be able to speak to the best hockey player in the world at that time.
"He's a winner. He's somebody who was completely dedicated to being the best he possibly can be every single day."
Lafleur, who wore No.4 as an homage to the great Jean Béliveau before he arrived in Montreal, was originally offered the number by the Canadiens' greatest captain.

But Béliveau, in all his wisdom, decided against it.
"Don't try to be a second Jean Béliveau," said Le Gros Bill. "Be the first Guy Lafleur. Take a number and make it your own."
And make it his own he did.
Not just through his dominant play on the ice, which led to a plethora of trophies and Stanley Cups, not to mention a jersey retirement ceremony in 1985, but through the memories and impact he made on all hockey fans.
"I lost my first hero'" explained head coach Martin St-Louis. "There are people that have an impact on you without doing much, just by watching how they behave, or how they go about their business. I learned a lot about Guy that day, when he came to my mother's funeral. He was just a great example."

The sentiment is echoed throughout the Canadiens' locker room.
"Getting the chance to be in the city for 10 years," said Brendan Gallagher. "And talking about the impact that he had on every single Montreal Canadiens fan…how much he meant to so many people growing up… the joy he brought people. He was a special person. We're really proud to wear this Montreal Canadiens logo in part because of individuals like Guy Lafleur.
"He was always a big supporter of our group, regardless of what we were going through. He meant a lot to a lot of us. When you talk about the Montreal Canadiens, he's in the first handful of names that come to mind."
The Canadiens lost a member of their family on Friday morning, one of the most electric players to grace the ice with his presence.
Someone who forged the Canadiens' illustrious history, someone who inspired thousands, if not more, across the country and around the world.
And to that end, just as he made a significant impact on Ti-Paul Meloche in Thurso, Guy Lafleur's legendary legacy with the Montreal Canadiens will live on forever.
Not just with the next generation of players, but through the endless memories he created for countless hockey fans along the way.