We’ve definitely been treated to big hockey news for most of the summer. Incredible ! Fortunately, the heat and humidity were there to remind us that it was not the height of hockey season.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
After Wayne Gretzky, it was Guy Lafleur’s turn to be the talk of the town over the past week. We had heard from Lafleur some time ago. He could hardly think of a more dramatic way to signal his presence than by announcing his intention to return to skating in the National League.
Lafleur is sometimes difficult to understand. I find it hard to understand why suddenly, like that, after four years of inactivity, he absolutely wants to make a comeback. A year or two after his retirement, I would have understood, but four years! I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Lafleur is going to fail with the New York Rangers. No one can say that with certainty.
He still has a good skate, but will he be able to keep pace with the youngest players in the National League?
Whatever one may say, there is a margin between the caliber of the NHL and that of a league of old times. Especially in terms of speed.
Some spoke in favor of Lafleur’s return, others wanted him to reconsider his decision. I think he can get away with it in New York if he’s really serious. After all, Gordie Howe was over 50 when he played his last National League games. But Howe was no longer the best player on his team. He was playing well enough to justify his presence in the NHL.
If Lafleur is able to accept that he will no longer be the great player he once was, he will have taken a giant step towards a successful comeback.
Even though Michel Bergeron’s Rangers gave a positive response to Lafleur, there are still many ifs in this story. The Rangers obviously didn’t agree to offer a 36-year-old hockey player a guaranteed contract until they found out if he could help them. You will have noticed that Phil Esposito’s version of the facts is less enthusiastic than that of Lafleur and his adviser Yves Tremblay.
This brings us back to my original question: why is Guy Lafleur so keen to return to the game? We know he doesn’t need the money, so what?
Lafleur may have things to prove to himself and to prove to others, but perhaps he also has difficulty accepting that people have been talking less about him for some time.
When you’ve been adored like Lafleur has been for years, it’s not easy to accept ordinary life. This is surely one of the hardest aspects of retirement.
Probably when Lafleur heard that the Los Angeles Kings were trying to convince Michael Bossy to play on the right of Luc Robitaille and Wayne Gretzky, he figured he might do the trick. But with Gretzky, the Kings didn’t need Lafleur to sell tickets.
The Rangers will give Lafleur a chance. Let’s hope he can take advantage of it.
– Interview by Alain de Repentigny