“Guy, Guy, Guy” chanted a hundred citizens of Thurso on Thursday, when Prime Minister François Legault officially announced that Highway 50 would now bear the name of Autoroute Guy-Lafleur.
Standing between the green road sign bearing the inscription “Autoroute Guy-Lafleur” and the statue of the Blond Demon in front of the town hall of Thurso, the Premier was able to give free rein to his well-known love of hockey. “The fondest memories I have with my dad is sitting down to watch a “game”, to watch Guy Lafleur play, ”he said.
“On the ice, he was like an artist. He was elegant, in addition to being good at hockey, ”he said, referring to the blonde hair of the native of Thurso. He also did not fail to make the nationalist fiber vibrate. “The most important thing for Quebecers is pride. We had the best player in the National League in Quebec. »
However, he took the praise well beyond the national sport by speaking of the man that was Guy Lafleur. “He wasn’t just good on the ice. He was exceptional as a human being too. An accessible man, a generous man, a humble man, close to the world, direct, sometimes too much, and close to his origins. He was proud to say he was from Thurso. »
Responsible for the Outaouais and Member of Parliament for Papineau, where the municipality is located, the Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe, thus illustrated the scope of the gesture: “Each time we go to borrow it now, that we leave Montreal, we leave Gatineau, we will think of him and that, I think, was the best tribute we could pay him. »
Several members of the legendary right-winger’s family were on hand, but it was his son Martin Lafleur who took the floor to express his gratitude for this gesture. “On behalf of the entire Lafleur family, I would like to thank the Government of Quebec for having officially incorporated my father’s name into the rich heritage of our province,” he said.