Why Did Guy Lafleur Retire For 3 Years?

[ilovetheflyers8]

I was just wondering if there was any particular reason the Lafleur decided not to play from '85-'86 to '87-'88? Also why did he decide to come back?

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[Jumptheshark]

this comes down to who you believe

one group believes it was due to a contract problem and the fact that Guy was a year short for UFA. He was getting little ice time during his last year with the habs and they would not trade him

other reports that came up suggested that off ice issues needed to be delt with

Guy also smoked 4 packs of smokes a day and that does hell to the body

 

[GCM]

this comes down to who you believe

one group believes it was due to a contract problem and the fact that Guy was a year short for UFA. He was getting little ice time during his last year with the habs and they would not trade him

other reports that came up suggested that off ice issues needed to be delt with

Guy also smoked 4 packs of smokes a day and that does hell to the body

4 packs?

Reminds me of that Family Guy episode when the guy in the 80's asks if "ya want cigarette's on that steak?".

Haha.

 

[Scott1980]

I wish he hadn't. But under the circumstances it was the right thing to do.

I remember before the mega stars game between the Oilers and the Canadians, Guy was asked about if he was aware that the Oilers were trying to aquire him at the time of his retirement. Wish he would have come!

 

[Big Phil]

In general the idea is that Lafleur retired because he was pretty much run out of town by coach Lemaire, ironically his old linemate. Lemaire was the same guy back then too, a coach who would stifle talent like no other and play a system that nobody would have won with in the 1980s which is why Montreal never did anything under him until he left. The story I heard is that Lafleur (never the type to conform to a system) just got fed up and retired

 

[Rhiessan71]

4 packs?

Reminds me of that Family Guy episode when the guy in the 80's asks if "ya want cigarette's on that steak?".

Haha.

His smoking had less effect on him than it would others.
He was actually a medical freak. His body could recover and slow his heartbeat much faster than the average person, in other words, catch his breath very quickly.
There's been a few athletes in various sports that had the same thing, Lance Armstrong is one if I'm not mistaken.

So even though Guy obviously reduced his lung capacity through his smoking, he was still able to go hard when ever he wanted.


As far as why he retired...there are many stories out there but it is generally accepted that Lemaire was the biggest contributor in that decision.

The most common story I hear was that Guy tried talking to Lemaire a couple times, thought they were both on the same page.
Guy more or less agreed to try and fit into Lemaire's system better if he could be assured of top PP time.
After Lemaire still didn't give him much PP time, Guy then went to the GM to see what could be done either in trying to help him with Lemaire or failing that, a possible trade.
When nothing materialized, a frustrated Guy decided enough was enough.

 

[ilovetheflyers8]

Thanks for the responses. I wonder why he chose to stay out for three years instead of just one if it was in fact all or mostly because of Lemaire.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Not Really

In general the idea is that Lafleur retired because he was pretty much run out of town by coach Lemaire, ironically his old linemate. Lemaire was the same guy back then too, a coach who would stifle talent like no other and play a system that nobody would have won with in the 1980s which is why Montreal never did anything under him until he left. The story I heard is that Lafleur (never the type to conform to a system) just got fed up and retired

Guy Lafleur was having problems under Bob Berry who was replaced by Jacques Lemaire late in the 1983-84 season. Lemaire made a few corrections and the team won(upsets) two playoff rounds before losing to the eventual SC finalists - NYI.

Jacques Lemaire during his brief tenure with the Canadiens improved the offensive game of Chris Nilan, Mats Naslund, Mario Tremblay-career year,Chris Chelios, Tom Kurvers, Petr Svoboda.
Mario Tremblay scored 14PP goals in 1984-85 or 30% of his career total.

Compared to the Berry/Lemaire 1983-84 season the 1984-85 Canadiens improved from 286 GF to 309GF, 58PPG to 77PPG (zero contribution from Lafleur in his brief stay) while dropping their GA from 295 to 262.

Effectively as the numbers show Jacques Lemaire newer stifled offense or talent with the Canadiens, he enhanced it.

That Guy Lafleur would not buy into the Lemaire power play which revolved around puck movement instead of possession within a 5 player unit was one element of their dispute. That Guy Lafleur's PP skills had not evolved with the 1980's was evident later with the Rangers where he contributed only 6 PPG to the teams total of 85 or with the Nordiques where he contributed 9PPG over two seasons.Jacques Lemaire was never with the Rangers or Nordiques but his assessment of Lafleur's declining PP skills was accurate.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/l/laflegu01.html

 

[Scott1980]

I'm just glad he came back in '88. Even though I'm not a Habs fan, it was sad to see him retire, right there in '85. GUY, GUY, GUY!

 

[greatgazoo]

Let's not forget that Scotty Bowman really knew how to get the most out of Lafleur by always challenging him to play better. After Bowman left, he wasn't the same player.

 

[Scott1980]

He had a pretty good year in 79/80 or year 1 AS (After Scotty) 74 GP 50 goals, 75 assists. But then ALL of those injuries...

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

Its hard for me to say this, but Lafleur in some ways signed his ticket to be run out of town by Lemaire. He basically complained for 2 years about the lack of talent in Montreal, while at the same time he could not admit his skills had declined. This was apparent in the playoffs of 1984 with Lafleur`s lack of ice time. IMO he also appeared to be shunned by his teammates. Overall, it was an unfortunate situation because if the Habs had drafted Savard, it may have helped Lafleur to maintain his scoring to some degree.

 

[Scott1980]

Its hard for me to say this, but Lafleur in some ways signed his ticket to be run out of town by Lemaire. He basically complained for 2 years about the lack of talent in Montreal, while at the same time he could not admit his skills had declined. This was apparent in the playoffs of 1984 with Lafleur`s lack of ice time. IMO he also appeared to be shunned by his teammates. Overall, it was an unfortunate situation because if the Habs had drafted Savard, it may have helped Lafleur to maintain his scoring to some degree.

Yeah, but I remember Shutt saying that it would have been difficult for Savard to play the way he did in Chicago, in Montreal. The reason is that the demands of the center include a lot of defence ala Lemaire.