I met a lot of new people working at my parent’s corner store in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario as I worked the counter after school and on weekends and while Guy Lafleur wasn't one of them, he would bring together two people who didn't know each other. While some customers made their purchase and left, some were looking for a conversation while they hung around eating their ice-cream. Those conversations often provided some sort of life-lesson, some more immediately apparent than others. On occasion, they were just looking for someone to talk to.

Hockey Night In Canada

One Saturday night when Andre came in, I had our small in-store TV on Hockey Night In Canada, while the Montreal Canadiens were playing. “Who is your favourite player,” Andre asked. “Patrick Roy,” I paused then started again, “but it was first Guy Lafleur”. Andre with his Quebec accent smiled, raised an eyebrow and his arm at the same time as he became animated recalling a memory. “I met him before. He is my favourite player too.” We shared a smile and nodded at each other and then we began to reminisce our favourite Lafleur moments.

Andre was older than I, enough that his memories of The Flower were much more than mine, but he was just happy to share them.

The Hockey Tape

“I have his last game on tape. You can borrow it if you don’t have it”, Andre offered. Excited, I accepted his offer to make a copy. A week later, Andre came by with the tape. It was a TDK VHS cassette tape, with the spine labelled “Guy Lafleur’s Last Game”, beneath it was Andre’s home address, all handwritten. “I will get it from you later. I know it’s in good hands,” he said as he headed out the door and waved.

At some point in those few weeks following, I had made a copy. I brought the original back with me to the corner store, thinking I’d give it to Andre when he came in next. I carried the tape back and forth each shift.

I didn’t see Andre the rest of that summer.

Time Passes On, Guy Goes With Me

By fall, I was on the move to university. My belongings packed in a few boxes, one of them labelled “Keepsakes & Important Things”. The Guy Lafleur tape was in that box. It came and stayed with me in Windsor, Ontario for a few years. It then came with me when I moved back to Sault Ste. Marie in the same box. The tape, sealed in the box was out of site and out of mind. That box eventually travelled with me to Toronto.

One day when I was “unpacking” (decluttering), I came across the box and opened it. Among hockey cards, banners, hockey programs, coins, and other tapes was the Guy Lafleur tape with Andre’s name and address. I put it aside. My parents no longer owned the corner store, and I had no idea if Andre was still at the address on this tape, but I decided I would go deliver the tape the next time I was in Sault Ste. Marie.

Hello, Andre!? 

Andre’s house wasn’t that far from where my parents corner store was. I rang the doorbell and to my surprise, Andre answered the door. Of course, he looked older, so did I. He looked at me as if he recognized me but wasn’t certain. “Hi Andre, you may not remember me from the corner store, but you gave me this tape.”

“Guy Lafleur’s Last Game,” he said. He remembered! I explained how we had lost contact after that summer, but that I had his tape with me all of theses, oh, almost fifteen years. He laughed. I laughed. He was in shock that I would bring the tape back to him. Then he said, “Us HABS fans are good people,” as he paused and then continued, “especially the Guy Lafleur ones.” He smiled at me with a few more smile lines on his face than the last time we chatted. “I’m going to watch it tonight,” he said as we waved goodbye to each other.

La Première Étoile, Guy Lafleur

Today, April 22, 2022, my first childhood hockey hero passed away at the age of 70. In my early street hockey days, every goal I scored, I did as number 10, the first star of the game, Guy Lafleur.

His hockey accolades are on-line and in record books for all to see and remember. His story will be told for decades by those players still around to tell it and they’ll do it with a sense of pride and honour because that’s what Guy Lafleur passed on to them. We will all share those together.

My story, at least this one about Guy Lafleur, remains on the spine of a TDK VHS tape, in the hands of a fellow fan who I connected with fifteen years apart, both times brought together by “The Flower” in fandom and respect.

Au revoir Guy. Ma première étoile, pour toujours 10.

This is an opinion article by Guido Piraino of  The Monthly Social Podcast. It may also be heard on The Path Radio Mix Online. You can read other opinion articles on the blog page. You may also enjoy video content of The Monthly Social Podcast on YouTube or The Path Radio Mix on YouTube.  For sports content, please consider The Coach's Call YouTube Podcast.