National funeral of Guy Lafleur: a tribute worthy of our hero

The national funeral of former star hockey player Guy Lafleur began Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. at the Marie-Reine-du-Monde cathedral in the presence of many personalities from various backgrounds.

• Read also: [EN DIRECT] Guy Lafleur’s state funeral: here are all the developments

• Read also: Patrick Roy will speak

• Read also: Gilbert Perreault salutes the memory of Guy Lafleur

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The coffin, draped in the colors of the Montreal Canadiens and carried by a few former teammates of the Blond Demon, made its entrance under the eyes of many dignitaries and a hundred people from the general public. The ceremony hosted by Habs announcer Michel Lacroix also offered several testimonials.

“Guy was an outstanding ambassador who represented the Montreal Canadiens perfectly. He was a winner on the ice, the best player on the best team in the world, as an individual and as a teammate. Off the ice, he was no different. He was an incredible human being and a team player for the good of the communities that needed it,” said Canadian owner Geoff Molson.

“In the 1970s, all young hockey players in Quebec dreamed of being a Guy Lafleur. Me, I dreamed of being a Ken Dryden in order to be able to play one day in the same team as Guy Lafleur. Guy was a larger than life player whose exploits and prowess had no limit,” added Patrick Roy.

big preparation

A large crowd of admirers of Guy Lafleur and sports personalities were expected at the Marie-Reine-du-Monde cathedral, where an outdoor square has been set up to follow everything from the ceremony on a giant screen.

Already on Monday, we were busy putting up barriers to contain the mass of people who will attend the national funeral of the Blond Demon, who has always been close to the Quebec people.

• Listen to Jean-François Baril’s sports column on QUB radio:

The latter will have demonstrated this love to him over the past few days, since several tens of thousands of people have paraded at the Bell Center, where the coffin of the eternal number 10 has been exposed in a state of worship since Sunday.

Again Monday, supporters marched by the hundreds to the coffin in the amphitheater.

In view of the funeral service, a large quadrilateral will be closed to traffic from 8 a.m. Tuesday morning and for the funeral procession which will begin its journey around 10:30 a.m. towards the cathedral

Many dignitaries

Several public figures from all walks of life should also be present to greet this great Quebec hockey player.

The Prime Ministers of Quebec and Canada, François Legault and Justin Trudeau, and of course the relatives of Guy Lafleur will be among the dignitaries.

At least 75 sports personalities have confirmed their presence, including Ken Dryden, Joe Sakic, Luc Robitaille, the captain of the Canadiens, Shea Weber, and all the current formation of the team as well as its staff. National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman and several former CH star players will also be on hand.

Elders will speak

Few details have leaked out as to the conduct of the state funeral in honor of “Flower”.

We already know that former Canadian goalkeeper Patrick Roy will speak. According to our information, Geoff Molson, Yvan Cournoyer, Larry Robinson and Guy Carbonneau should also give testimony.

Also, the singer Ginette Reno will perform one of her great hits, The essential.

– With Jean-François Chaumont and QMI Agency

OR ?

Mary Queen of the World Cathedral

WHO ?

Monsignor Christian Lépine, Archbishop of Montreal, will preside over the funeral, accompanied by Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec.

WHEN ?

8 a.m.

Closure of rue Peel (in part), boulevard René-Lévesque (in part) and L’Avenue-des-Canadiens.

10:30 a.m.

The procession will leave the Bell Centre.

11 a.m.

Start of the celebration.

2 p.m.

Opening of roadways.

ESCORT

The procession will be escorted by representatives of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), including its cavalry.

GENERAL PUBLIC OUTSIDE

A space is reserved outside for members of the general public. Access to the interior of the cathedral is reserved for guests.

DISTRIBUTED EVERYWHERE

The route of the procession, as well as the ceremony will be broadcast on television networks, on the internet, as well as on screens inside and outside the cathedral.

PERSONALITIES WHO HAVE CONFIRMED THEIR PRESENCE

• Francois Legault
• Isabelle Brais
• Justin Trudeau
• Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau
• Francois Paradis
• Isabelle Charest
• Sonia Lebel
• Andree Laforest
• Lionel Carmant
• Pascale St Onge
• Valerie Plante
• Gary Bettman
• Rejean Houle
• Yvan Cournoyer
• Guy Carbonneau
• Vincent Damphousse
• Yvon Lambert
• Pierre Mondou
• Mario Tremblay
• Chris Nilan
• larry robinson
• Steve Penney
• Doug Jarvis
• patrick roy
• Peter Mahovlich
• Steve Begin
• Sergio Momesso
• Francis Bouillon
• Pierre Bouchard
• Patrice Brisebois
• Benoit Brunet
• Enrico Ciccone
• Ronald Corey
• Pierre Dagenais
• Peter Dalla Riva
• Lucien Deblois
• Gilbert Delorme
• Ken Dryden
• mike keane
• Gaetan Lefebvre
• Kirk Muller
• John Perron
• Luc Robitaille
• Stephane Quintal
• John Martineau
• Joe Sakic
• Darryl Sittler
• Glen Healy
• Brian Jennings
• Denis Coderre
• Jake Allen
• Josh Anderson
• Justin Barron
• Paul Byron
• Cole Caufield
• Kale Clague
• Laurent Dauphin
• Jonathan Drouin
• Christian Dvorak
• Joel Edmundson
• Jake Evans
• Brendan Gallagher
• Jordan Harris
• Mike Hoffman
• William Lagesson
• Mathieu Perreault
• Jeff Petry
• Michael Pezzetta
• Rem Pitlick
• Tyler Pitlick
• Ryan Poehling
• Carey Price
• Alexander Romanov
• Davis Savard
• Nick Suzuki
• Shea Weber
• Chris Wideman
• Martin St Louis
• Jeff Gorton
• Kent Hughes