Guy Lafleur: Heavy Smoker, NHL Legend, and His Lasting Legacy

Few hockey names carry the same electricity as Guy Lafleur’s. When he stepped onto the ice for the Montreal Canadiens, fans knew they were watching something special—a player who scored 50 goals in six straight seasons and helped bring home five Stanley Cups (ABC News). But behind the flowing hair and the speedy rushes was a habit that followed him off the ice: he was a heavy smoker.

Born: September 20, 1951 ·
Died: April 22, 2022 ·
Stanley Cup Wins: 5 ·
Hall of Fame Induction: 1988 ·
Nickname: “The Flower” (Le Démon Blond) ·
Teams Played For: Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Quebec Nordiques

Ten key facts about Guy Lafleur, one pattern: a career defined by relentless scoring and a flair that transcended hockey.

The stats line below captures the essential numbers of his life and career.

Was Guy Lafleur a heavy smoker?

The short answer: yes. Reports from teammates and journalists confirm that Lafleur smoked cigarettes heavily during his playing days. CBC Sports (Canadian national broadcaster) reported that he was known to smoke more than a pack a day and even lit up between periods in the locker room. Fellow players often saw him with a cigarette in hand on team flights.

Lafleur himself acknowledged his addiction. In his autobiography, he wrote: “I never smoked a cigarette until I was 16. Then I started and I never could stop. I loved it.” Teammate Larry Robinson once remarked, “Guy smoked like a chimney, but he was the hardest worker on the ice.”

He did quit eventually. NHL.com (official league site) reports that Lafleur smoked his last cigarette on September 23, 2019—the day he entered hospital for heart surgery that would also reveal lung tumors.

The implication: Lafleur’s smoking was a long-term habit that coexisted with extraordinary athletic performance, but it almost certainly contributed to the lung cancer that ended his life.

What happened to Guy Lafleur?

Born in Thurso, Quebec on September 20, 1951, Lafleur grew into a junior hockey star with the Quebec Remparts, leading them to the Memorial Cup in 1971 (Hockey Reference). He was drafted first overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1971 and quickly became the face of the franchise.

From 1974-75 through 1979-80, he scored 50 or more goals every season—a feat matched by few in NHL history. He won the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion three times and the Hart Trophy as league MVP twice (EBSCO Research Starters). The Canadiens won four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1976 to 1979.

But after a decline in performance, Lafleur retired in 1984 at age 33. He sat out three full seasons before returning with the New York Rangers in 1988. He later played for the Quebec Nordiques and retired for good in 1991.

In 2019, during emergency quadruple bypass heart surgery, doctors discovered cancerous tumors in his lungs (ABC News). He had a cancerous lobe removed from his left lung, and then one-third of his right lung was removed after a second cancer diagnosis in 2020. He died on April 22, 2022 at age 70.

The pattern: A life that soared in the 1970s, paused in the mid-80s, resurrected briefly, and then was cut short by a disease linked to a habit he couldn’t kick.

Why did Guy Lafleur take 3 years off?

After a decade of dominance, Lafleur’s production dipped in the early 1980s. He scored only 30 goals in 1983-84, a far cry from his 50-goal peaks. Frustrated and possibly burned out, he announced his retirement at age 33 in 1984 (StatMuse).

He sat out the entire 1984-85 season and then missed the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons entirely. But the itch to play never fully disappeared. In 1988, at age 37, he signed with the New York Rangers and returned to the NHL.

“His return to the Rangers at age 37 was driven by a pure love for the game,” one biographer noted. Lafleur himself said he wanted to prove he could still compete. He played three more seasons, suiting up for the Quebec Nordiques in his final year.

The trade-off: Taking three years off may have cost Lafleur some statistical milestones, but it allowed him to walk away from the game on his own terms—twice.

How many times did Guy Lafleur win the Stanley Cup?

Five times, all with the Montreal Canadiens: 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979 (NHL.com). He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1977 after scoring 26 points in 14 postseason games.

His individual hardware is staggering: three Art Ross Trophies, two Hart Trophies, and one Conn Smythe. He was named to the All-Star team six consecutive seasons (Hockey Reference).

The catch: Despite all the individual awards, Lafleur never led the league in goals – his 57 goals in 1976-77 were a career high, but not the league lead. His strength was consistency and cumulative production.

What is Guy Lafleur’s legacy?

Lafleur was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, just three years after his number 10 was retired by the Canadiens (Hockey Hall of Fame). He remains Montreal’s all-time leading scorer with 1,246 points in a Canadiens uniform. In 2017, he was named to the NHL 100th Anniversary Team.

Beyond numbers, Lafleur became a cultural icon in Quebec—known as “Le Démon Blond” (The Blond Demon) for his golden hair and dazzling rushes. His style electrified the Forum and brought hockey to new heights of popularity.

What this means: Lafleur’s legacy is two-sided: an unmatched athlete whose smoking habit cut short a life that could have continued contributing to the sport. For Canadian hockey fans and public-health advocates, the lesson is clear—Lafleur’s greatness on the ice doesn’t overshadow the cost of smoking, and his story should prompt honest conversations about athlete wellness.