I had the chance to work at the Montreal Forum from 1976 to 1985. So I saw with my own eyes the glorious years of Guy Lafleur and the CH when the club had the sole objective of winning the Stanley Cup. . If I have witnessed many exploits of Guy, I will never forget this breathtaking moment when he tied the score late in the game against Boston, on May 10, 1979, in the seventh game of the semi-final of the Cup Stanley – the final before the final, as we all knew.
Posted yesterday at 2:00 p.m.
When Guy scored that historic goal, unquestionably one of the most memorable of his illustrious career, never did the roof of the Forum, during the years I worked there, come closer to being propelled into the sky under the explosion of joy it generated. Not only had Guy tied the game with just over a minute left in the game, but he had just destroyed the morale of the Bruins, who thought they could finally beat the Canadian after several unsuccessful attempts for them in the playoffs.
The excitement was beyond fever pitch in the Forum. Everyone was jumping into each other’s arms – except for the Bruins fans present, of course – and we suspected that the Bruins would not recover.
In extra time, Gilles Gilbert did his best in front of the opposing net, it was only a matter of time before the CH on fire won the match and caused a new explosion of joy, which happened with the goal winner of Yvon Lambert. With his unforgettable goal and two assists in the third period, Guy was the one who broke the Bruins and gave the Canadian momentum back. Less than two weeks later, the Glorieux won the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in a row.
Rangers number 10
A few years later, the announcement of Guy’s retirement at 33 broke my heart. I still remember I was washing my car when I heard the news. I see myself bewildered, with the garden hose in one hand and the sponge full of soap in the other, not believing what I was hearing on the radio. Guy wasn’t finished, he was just disgusted, with good reason, because he was being misused in Jacques Lemaire’s stifling non-game system.
His return to Rangers in 1989 was a moment that was both very special to me and evocative of his legendary greatness to me. When Guy returned to the Forum with the Rangers on February 4, 1989, I was there with my father and two brothers. It’s the only time we went to see a game of the Canadians together.
To mark the occasion and this historic return, my brothers and I gave my father a Rangers jersey with the number 10. If my father greatly appreciated this somewhat daring gift for a big CH fan like him, he However, he was able to bring himself to wear the jersey during the game. For me, however, there was no question of this jersey remaining in a bag and not being worn during this extraordinary match. With my father’s agreement – it was still his gift – so I wore that famous number 10 Rangers jersey that night and I did it proudly.
Guy Lafleur is the only player who could have made me wear and who did make me wear the jersey of another NHL club than the CH in the Forum.
And from the number of thumbs up I received during the evening and seeing the many other similar jerseys in the place, it was obvious that many of us were jubilant to see our hero on the ice again and to show the CH that he had screwed up by pushing Guy into retirement prematurely.
Equal to himself and always up to the task on big occasions, the Blond Demon scored two goals in addition to being an accomplice to another. It goes without saying that his two goals were given a standing ovation. After the match, Patrick Roy had also said something like that it was the first time he saw the Forum crowd be so happy to see an opponent count against him. The Canadian won the match, but Ti-Guy stole the show.
I never understood why he was only awarded the second star instead of the first that night. If I remember correctly, it was Dick Irving who chose them and gave the first to Shayne Corson, who had what I call a false hat trick, with the third base in an empty net. Here is one (Irving or whoever chose those stars on that memorable evening) who missed a great opportunity to do a favor to a legend who fully deserved it, in addition to offering his countless fans the final exclamation point that would have perfectly crowned this magical return of Guy to his temple. Needless to say, the “Guy! Guy! Guy! were numerous during this electrifying evening!
Thank you, Guy, for all these unforgettable moments that you gave me and that you made us live! Thank you also for always remaining authentic and accessible over the years and your exploits, which has only increased the special place you hold among us and in us. The legend of the Blonde Comet is inscribed in me forever and I will always have the pleasure of bringing your memory to life with the same passion as that which animated you on the ice, which is saying something. I imagine that we will now see you lighting up the sky, hair blowing in the wind and spinning at high speed among the stars where you will certainly continue to shine, while watching over yours, to whom I offer my sincere condolences.