Wherever he is, Guy Lafleur probably smiled with pride on Friday evening. The Quebec Remparts, the team with which it all started for him in 1969, paid him a posthumous tribute by winning 5 to 2 against the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
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But the tribute was not limited to the final score. The Remparts had prepared a touching video recounting the significant passages of Guy Lafleur with the Remparts and then with the Canadian. All on the air of the room Those who leave by Ginette Reno.
In the morning, Patrick Roy had also offered fans to swap the traditional minute of silence with a warm ovation to celebrate the greatness of man. This idea had been received very positively during the day on social media and Remparts supporters answered the call by chanting “Guy! Guy! Guy! while applauding her warmly. A scene that warmed Roy’s heart.
“I was a little embarrassed to say it this morning, but it came from the heart. Guy Lafleur had such an impact on everyone and it seems to me that it was not silence that I wanted to hear, but applause, that people could show their love for him. »
START IN LEO
Once the puck fell, the Red Devils didn’t take long to honor the memory of the man whose number four was retired across the QMJHL.
From the 35and second, Zachary Bolduc attempted a pass in front of the net which deflected off the skate of defender Maveric Lamoureux before ending up behind goalkeeper Jacob Goobie. It was a 48and this season for the no. 15 of the Red Devils.
Photo Didier Debusschere
Forward Zachary Bolduc (in blue) attacks the Voltigeurs goal defended by goalkeeper Jacob Goobie (in white).
If his exploits will never come close to those of Lafleur, Bolduc will at least be able to boast of having equalized Timofei Shishkanov for the longest streak of games with at least one goal in a second-generation Remparts uniform, with seven.
“We did not discuss it before the match [le décès de Guy Lafleur], but the ceremony was emotional. I didn’t see him play, but I could tell he was a legend and a whole person off the ice. For me, it’s learning from people like him. These are emotional games and this victory was for him,” said Bolduc, who also scored his 49and in the second period.
A LEGEND
If the subject was not discussed in the locker room, defender Louis Crevier still discussed it with his parents during the day.
“My parents weren’t the biggest hockey fans out there, but when you talk about Guy Lafleur, there are always little memories of when they went to see him. These are great memories for the organization too. Just to see the ovation he received before the match as well as the one he had at the start of the season, you see that he marked the lives of people here. Even if we did not know him, we see that he is a legend. »
In addition to Bolduc’s two goals, Théo Rochette, Viljami Marjala and James Malatesta also scored for the Remparts, who regained first place in the QMJHL, one point ahead of the Charlottetown Islanders, who lost 6-2 to the Phoenix of Sherbrooke Friday.
The first star of Friday’s game was given to number four of the Remparts.
A certain Guy Lafleur.
