Lafleur in good health after passing hospital tests

MONTREAL --Guy Lafleur, in robust health and on a remarkable rebound from two health crises last fall, has taken a huge step toward having his helicopter's license renewed, something that not so long ago seemed highly unlikely, perhaps ever, for the Montreal Canadiens icon.

Lafleur had hospital tests late last week, running the treadmill and getting pulmonary exams. He said Monday that he passed them with flying colors.
Now he's waiting for paperwork to be shuffled through the system in Canada and the United States so he can get into the air again.

Guy Lafleur flew a group of teammates to the Sherbrooke, Quebec funeral of former Canadiens coach and executive Claude Ruel in February 2015. From left: Guy Lapointe, Yvon Lambert, Chris Nilan, Lafleur, Yvan Cournoyer.
"They need to send all the papers from the doctors to Transport Canada and the FAA because I also had a U.S. license," Lafleur said from his home in suburban Montreal. "They'll give me the OK to take my medical, which you have to do to have your license granted. I talked to my doctor and he says that's no problem."
Lafleur has come a long way since last fall, when in the space of two months he had operations on his heart and a lung.
Late last September, the 68-year-old Hockey Hall of Famer went for a routine medical exam to have his pilot's license renewed. That didn't end well.
"The doctor looked at my echocardiogram and said, 'You're sick,'" Lafleur recalled early in February, on his first night back at Bell Centre in his role as a Canadiens ambassador. "I replied, 'No.' And he said, 'Yes you are. Do you know a cardiologist?'"

Guy Lafleur prepares to go flying with former teammate Larry Robinson and having a checkup of sorts from Guy Lapointe during a 1970s training camp.
In fact, one of Lafleur's friends is renowned Quebec cardiologist Dr. Benoit Coutu. He was in his surgeon's care at the hospital the following morning, and on Sept. 26 he had a quadruple bypass, four coronary arteries fully blocked and a fifth clogged at nearly 90 percent.
The pre-surgery exams also revealed cancerous tumors in Lafleur's right lung. Only when he was strong enough following heart surgery would he return for that operation, a Nov. 28 procedure that removed the upper lobe of his lung. He was one month back into his Canadiens ambassador duties when the NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

Guy Lafleur in 2005 with Canadian Forces Capt. Dave Pletz, today a Colonel, and seated in an F-18 pre-flight.
Aviators are a tight family, and it was with a heavy heart that Lafleur learned about the Sunday crash of one of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds aerobatic-team Tutor jets in Kamloops, British Columbia. The crash took the life of Capt. Jenn Casey, the team's public affairs officer.
Lafleur said his heart went out to the family, friends and colleagues of Capt. Casey, and he spoke of an invitation he'd been extended by the Snowbirds a few years ago to take a flight in Bagotville, Quebec.
"In 2005, before I went to Afghanistan on a goodwill mission with the Canadian Forces, I went up in an F-18 (fighter jet) for almost two hours," Lafleur said. "I thanked the Snowbirds for their offer but told them that I'd had my thrill in an F-18."
Lafleur remains a massively popular figure in the Canadiens family, the winner of five Stanley Cup championships through their glorious 1970s. He scored 518 goals between 1971-85, second in Canadiens history behind Maurice Richard (544), then 42 more for the New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques from 1988-91. He returned to the NHL following a four-year retirement, by then having been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.

Guy Lafleur in full flight closer to the ground, rushing a puck during his 1970s prime.
Lafleur is happiest when he's mingling with fans, signing autographs and making appearances throughout Quebec and far beyond. For now, he's spending time at home and on his property, straying nowhere far while strictly following health guidelines during the pandemic.
"What I miss the most is doing my PR stuff with the fans," Lafleur said. "I look forward to that coming back, if even in a different way. I can't see the world without all of these things."
The landscape, he said, will be a little different with more than 20,000 goalies in Bell Centre seats.
"Imagine, everyone wearing a mask?" he said with a laugh. "Or a big helmet with a visor."
Photos: Getty Images; Guy Lafleur and Guy Lapointe collections; HHoF Images