The Canadiens will honor Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur with a special pregame ceremony, while Montreal players will also wear a No. 10 patch on their jerseys in memory of the icon, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 70. The Bruins paid tribute to Lafleur before Saturday's game against the Rangers with a moment of silence and short videot montage for their longtime rival.
Patrice Bergeron, a native of Quebec, grew up very familiar with Lafleur's name, though he was too young to watch the winger live.
"He was my dad's favorite player growing up. I heard a lot about him when I was coming up and playing hockey and some of the stories about the things he was able to do during his careers," said Bergeron. "He was an icon."
More so than his play on the ice, Bergeron admires what a legacy Lafleur left behind off the ice. "I think the impact that they've had beyond the game of hockey, being able to connect with people, with the community, has left a mark, obviously. And it's something that people will remember," said Bergeron. "I think it's obviously the glory and the way that he's played the game, but beyond that I think the human being that he was is what people will remember."
Cassidy also remembered the Canadiens great on Sunday morning. Despite having grown up in Ottawa, Cassidy's mom would have the Habs games on the TV.
"My mom was a big Habs fan and when I would see them on TV, they did a lot of winning," said Cassidy. "It looked like the opposition even enjoyed his game. He never seemed to annoy anybody, seemed to be a good teammate, great for the game with his hair flowing like that when the helmet came off."
Cassidy went on to say that David Pastrnak reminds him of Lafleur for several reasons. "I think Pastrnak reminds me a bit of a modern day Lafleur," said Cassidy. "The way he shoots the puck with the way he has some personality coming to the rink every day and how he interacts with fans, and, hopefully, never heard a bad word about him."
