D’Amico On Guy Lafleur Passing: ‘He Had A Way Of Bridging Cultures’

Our own Marco D’Amico was on CTV Montreal Friday to discuss the passing of Montreal Canadiens legend and icon Guy Lafleur. As D’Amico pointed out, as if it wasn’t evident enough while Lafleur was alive, it was reenforced ten-fold as news of his passing spread online and through the city that loved him.

“It’s incredible to see the legacy that he left behind,” D’Amico said. “How many people he inspired during his time; the incredible wealth of hockey players that he helped along the way in the eighties and the nineties, and then of course his work in the community and in Montreal. …and Quebec in general in the later years of his life. When you look at a player that embodied the crest, Guy Lafleur did that and he did that often.”

On and off the ice, as D’Amico pointed out, Lafleur became an integral component of not only the Montreal Canadiens family and fan base but of the community and culture in Montreal and the province of Quebec.

“He had a way of bridging fan bases; he had a way of bridging people; he had a way of bridging cultures,” D’Amico said. “I think it’s just that kind of persona that you can have. When you exhibit that much emotion on the ice, it’s infectious, and I think that when you look back and see the way he made crowds react and he is persona on the ice, it was an really easy thing to enjoy, whether you were a Montreal Canadiens fan or a rival team.”

My @MTLhockeynow teammate @mndamico on the passing of Guy Lafleur on @CTVMontreal:https://t.co/r2xdl9kF2n

— MurphysLaw74 (@MurphysLaw74) April 22, 2022

Lafleur’s influence reached beyond Montreal though and around the NHL.

“I’ve heard outpouring from a lot of players that played for the Boston Bruins in the seventies, a of Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers former players that absolutely had nothing but kind words for him because no matter what happened on the ice, off the ice, he was a gentleman and he would always play the game the right way and he would always promote the game in a very honest way off the ice,” D’Amico said.

The Bruins join the hockey world in mourning the passing of Canadiens legend and Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and the entire Montreal organization. pic.twitter.com/DghuiJKMI0

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 22, 2022

Quebec Premier François Legault stated Friday that he wants Lafleur to lay in state and hold a ceremony similar to that that was held after Jean Béliveau passed away back on December 2, 2014.

“I think personally, he deserves it,” D’Amico said. “I think the last one that comes to mind is Jean Beliveau’s and what a ceremony that was, what an event that was, and just a show of love from the city to a man that gave his life to the game, and I feel like Guy Lafleur deserves the same kind of treatment. I feel like now is a good time with the season coming to an end that all the focus would be on his accomplishments and what he’s done for the game and honestly at this point, I think it’s well deserved.”