Guy Lafleur is never sure what tomorrow has in store for him.
When her cancer treatments don’t wear her out, Lafleur regains some energy.
And then there are other times when all he wants is to rest.
“I get immunotherapy the first three weeks, then the fourth week I have heavy chemo,” Lafleur said of his treatment in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. The hardest part is chemotherapy. There is not a week that is alike. The last two weeks I felt very, very bad and slept a lot.
“But these last three days, I feel a lot better. There are a lot of ups and downs. “
A cancerous white spot was discovered by chance on Lafleur’s right lung in September 2019 while he was undergoing a quadruple heart bypass surgery. Two months later, the Hockey Hall of Fame winger again went under the knife to remove the upper lobe from one of his lungs. His lymph nodes were also removed.
“I had no idea,” Lafleur admitted of her cancer, acknowledging that it was caught early. I might be done with stage 4 cancer and maybe it would have been too late. “
But he received bad news in October 2020 with a recurrence of his cancer, and that’s when Lafleur started his current treatment.
The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that 21,000 people will die of lung cancer nationwide in 2021, or about 25 percent of all cancer deaths.
“Most people when they find out it’s stage 4,” recalled Lafleur, a die-hard smoker until he quit because of his health problems in 2019. It’s not too late, for there are miracles that are done, and there are people who survive.
“But you better find out for yourself. “
Interested observer
Lafleur, who won five Stanley Cups with the Canadiens Dynasty in the 1970s over a distinguished career, continues to keep a close eye on his former team.
The one who has been nicknamed the “Blond Demon” or “Flower” doesn’t attend many games – however, he received an enthusiastic ovation at the Bell Center during the team’s improbable run to the final last season. – but he was disappointed with the club’s start to the season, which won just five of its 20 games to sit 29th in the NHL standings.
“They were aiming for the Stanley Cup and are now almost in last place,” said Lafleur, who scored 560 goals and 1,353 points in 1,126 games with the Canadiens, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques.
“If you’re not ready and if you don’t have the right players, you’re not going to win. “
The Canadian is of course deprived of two important players in 2021-22. Captain Shea Weber deals with injuries that could force him to retire, while goaltender Carey Price has turned to the NHL assistance program for a ‘drinking problem’ ahead of the season and he continues to work towards of his return.
“These are two big pieces that are missing,” noted Lafleur. But it’s not normal to have losing streaks like that. Even if you’re missing two guys, you should be able to make up for it. “
Although he is critical of the team’s performance on the ice, Lafleur has a great deal of admiration for Price and winger Jonathan Drouin, who left the team last spring to struggle with insomnia and illness. anxiety, for listening to their mental health needs – and then sharing the details publicly.
“They hid them for a while, their problems, but it’s out and it’s going to help,” said Lafleur. First of all, for themselves. And also for people who will better understand what they are going through. This is a good thing.
“They are not the only two in the league, I assure you. “
A captain and quickly
Lafleur believes the Canadiens must appoint a captain, with Weber on the sidelines for an indefinite period. Valorous forward Brendan Gallagher is his choice.
“Right away,” he insists. Sorry for Shea, but he’s not playing. You need someone for the players to watch.
“And Brendan… he’s the guy who shows up in every game, he pays the price in every game.” “
Meanwhile, declining interest in hockey among young Quebecers prompted the Legault government to unveil a strategy to increase the number of Quebecers in the NHL.
Lafleur is not on the committee announced last week, but he has some ideas.
“Times are changing,” he said. Minor hockey is so expensive. For parents, bringing their children to junior level is quite a challenge. In our time, it was not like that.
“There wasn’t that much money involved because we didn’t have to travel a lot. Minor hockey is organized like the NHL now. “
Lafleur also pointed to certain parents.
“They put so much pressure on the kids. They think of winning the lottery if they get to (the NHL).
“That’s why a lot of kids give up… There is too much pressure. They have to perform all the time. “
The pressure of victory
This performance pressure is inevitable for a team with a rich history with its 24 Stanley Cup banners.
“You have to go to war together,” said Lafleur of the Canadiens’ current players. Not a single guy one night, two guys the next. There are 20 guys on the team, and everyone has to do everything in their power to win.
“Montreal is the best city in the world to play in, if you win. If you don’t win, it’s hell. “
Lafleur has lived it his way for the past 26 months with his surgeries, the COVID-19 pandemic, the recurrence of cancer and the treatments that can have unpleasant side effects.
But the support of his family, friends and fans – the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League withdrew its number last month – has greatly supported him.
“I’ve been mostly stuck at home since 2019,” he said. Mentally, it’s difficult. I hope that I will get out of it and that I will come out with the victory.
“It is hope for all who have cancer. “