The QMJHL will never again have a player wearing No. 4. Guy Lafleur’s number will be retired league-wide as of next season, celebrating his status as the league’s all-time greatest player. Before all of his success at the NHL level, Lafleur dominated the Q, recording 379 points in 118 regular season games. Amazingly, he scored more than 100 goals in each of his two seasons in the league, including seven in a single game (and five in a period!).
Lafleur would go on to be the first player from the league to be selected first overall and won five Stanley Cup championships during his Hall of Fame career. He will actually join Sidney Crosby as the only players to have their numbers retired league-wide, though it seems likely that at least Mario Lemieux will join them before long.
- Though rumblings continue to emerge about more drastic changes in the Vancouver Canucks front office, no official announcements have been made by the team. Darren Dreger of TSN however has heard that team ownership is in talks with Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin about potential roles in the organization, without giving any specifics on what those would be. Thomas Drance of The Athletic tweets that the discussions are “not centered on a president or GM-type top decision maker role.” The twins are two of the greatest players to ever pull on a Canucks sweater and will likely be linked to the organization in some fashion for the rest of their lives; an official role would only be an extension of that connection.
- Get excited Detroit, Moritz Seider is coming. The 20-year-old prospect was named Defenseman of the Year for the SHL this season after recording 28 points in 41 games for Rogle. Selected sixth overall in 2019, Seider signed his entry-level contract later that year but has yet to play a game for the Red Wings. Instead, he spent the entire 2019-20 season in the AHL developing his game with the Grand Rapids Griffins, before heading to Sweden to ensure a full season this time around. Playing against opponents sometimes more than a decade his elder, Seider was a dominant force at both ends of the rink.
Any sentence that involves the words “greatest player ever” also needs to include the name “Mario Lemieux” in order to be accurate.
Mario had 562 points in 200 QMJHL games, including a 282 point season.
Also, bottom line, just a better player than Lafleur, who was great in his own right.
@forwhomjoshbelltolled – The Flower did have the epic flow going, though, so a couple of extra votes for that… ;)
I’ll give you that. Although, while I am personally anti-mullet, Mario did have some solid 80’s hair for awhile. Just for the record.
Probably some bias there, but well deserved claims. Honestly speaking though, game evolved from LeFeur’s days to Mario’s to more open opportunities. I would say LaFleur’s number should’ve been retired long ago and well before Crosby’s. LaFleur is up there with Howe in terms of generational players who changed the game, effing period. If you think I’m wrong, put down the crack pipe.
No, that sounds about right.
Lafleur is in the tier with Howe, Messier, Jagr, etc.
Lemieux stands atop Gretzky, Orr and Crosby, waiting to see what McDavid can do.
@forwhomjoshbelltolled – I think that means both you and I are anti-mophead. Even for guys I like! We are probably a small group…