Guy Lafleur

Where were you when Guy Lafleur announced his stunning retirement from the Canadiens 25 years ago today? Robert Lefebvre revisits the day, which drove a stake through the heart of many Canadiens fans.

The Canadiens will hold an optional practice and gym workouts today in Brossard following their back-to-back games in Montreal and Pittsburgh. We'll be there to bring you updates... assuming we're not tripping over the injuried bodies.

Guy Lafleur at the Montreal Forum as a Quebec Nordique (photo chosen in honour of Habs visit tonight to the provincial capital).
Denis Brodeur, NHLI via Getty Images

So, tonight you can tune in to the Canadiens vs. the Boston Bruins at 7 pm ET on RDS for the cost of your cable subscription.

Or a half-hour later, if you can tune in Indigo, you can check out a French-language pay-per-view celebration of the 58th birthday of Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur.

The hockey game you know about, the Canadiens hoping to end their one-game preseason losing streak.

Here's a little more about the Lafleur thing, which will set you back 10 bucks in standard definition, $12 in HD:

Lafleur's 58 years will be feted live by 800 guests from Mel's Studio in Montreal, people the press release says are from all walks of life.

Four teams will test their knowledge of Lafleur in this love-in – Jean Béliveau will captain the Canadiens squad, with Gilbert Dionne, Raymond Bourque and Marcel Dionne respectively leading the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings.

Guy Lafleur was a great hockey player.

Anyone who was priviliged to see Guy! Guy! Guy! in action with the last Canadiens dynasty will never forget the iconic images of Lafleur flying down the right wing.

Don Cherry undoubtedly retains particularly vivid memories.

There is a reason, however, why the team has never employed Guy Lafleur as a coach, scout or even special assistant.

He is the kind of intuitive genius who lacks deep understanding of the sport at which he excelled – a lacune that does not prevent Lafleur from talking ... a lot.

As a "goodwill ambassador", Guy Lafleur is doing for the Montreal Canadiens what the invention of pantyhose did for the balcony at the Bijoux.

When he coached Brazil's national soccer team and was second-guessed by  the great Pele, Luiz Felipe Scolari said his critic was "a great guy – too bad he doesn't know anything about soccer."

So please, Guy: Focus on your legal problems and let Bob Gainey do his job.

A puck of a lot of trouble: Guy Lafleur photographed in the Montreal Forum in the 1970s.
Denis Brodeur, NHLI via Getty Images

The sentence came down this morning.

The Hall of Famer has been convicted of obstruction of justice based on perjury that occurred during the revocation of bail hearing of his troubled son.

Maximum sentence: 14 years in the slammer – precisely the number of seasons the Flower spent in a Canadiens uniform.

This grisly fate is unlikely to befall a Quebec icon with no criminal record.

Lafleur will likely get community service ... which is what he does for a living anyway.

From Stan Fischler:

The NHL Think Tank is reviewing some novel changes in its Skills Competition for the All-Star Game. One idea is to have former stars such as Guy Lafleur have a goaltending showdown with the likes of Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo. The event, to be held in Montreal, will coincide with the Habs 100th Anniversary celebration. …