The bloom is off the flower. Sadly, cancer has claimed its second hockey legend in as many weeks with the death of Guy Lafleur following the loss of Mike Bossy.

They are both terrible tragedies. In the case of Lafleur, however, it hits home a little more personally.

In 2003, I was given the chance to play goal against Lafleur and a team of NHL alumni. It led to the greatest moment of my hockey playing career.

Rest in peace, Guy Lafleur.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lafleur's friends, family and the entire @CanadiensMTL community. pic.twitter.com/sXOxgNgykL

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 22, 2022

I was asked to play goal for a team of Amherstburg (Ontario) youth hockey coaches as they opposed an NHL Alumni squad. The game was exactly eight days following the NHL’s first outdoor game between the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers. Several of those who suited up for the Habs in the alumni game that week in Edmonton were also in Amherstburg.

The NHL Alumni arrived in Amherstburg with 10 players in tow. Richard Sevigny was in net, behind a defense of Gaston Gingras, Jim Dorey and Andre (Moose) Dupont. The first forward line featured an all-Montreal unit of Guy Lafleur, Stephane Richer and Benoit Brunet. Gilbert Perreault was between Normand Dupont and Wilf Paiement on the second line, so there was a Hall of Famer on each unit.

Foiling The Flower

From the opening faceoff, it was evident that we were in deep trouble. We were the Washington Generals and they were the Harlem Globetrotters.

Brunet won the draw cleanly back to Dupont. In one fluid motion, Lafleur burst past the defense and Dupont banked a soft pass off the glass right on to The Flower’s tape. Seconds into the game, I am staring down Guy Lafleur on a breakaway. Clearly, I remember thinking how I hoped that was just sweat running down my legs.

I didn’t stop the shot as much as the puck hit my thigh and bounded wide of the net. Still, that wasn’t the most memorable moment.

Later in the game, Brunet held the puck behind my net. A voice in the slot called for a pass. Instantly, without needing to look, I recognized it to be Lafleur.

The Hockey Hall of Fame is saddened to learn of the passing of Honoured Member Guy Lafleur.

We offer our condolences to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/7jksIrfAWY

— Hockey Hall of Fame (@HockeyHallFame) April 22, 2022

Brunet zipped a pass out to the wide-open Flower. As I turned my head and pushed out to take away the angle, Lafleur snapped a quick shot to the glove side. Reacting, I was able to get a piece of the puck with my glove, just enough to deflect it beyond the post.

Angrily, Lafleur slammed his stick down on the ice. I had foiled The Flower, frustrating a two-time Hart Trophy winner and three-time Art Ross Trophy winner.

Sure, he ended up scoring two goals and they won 7-1. But that was my moment and I’ll never forget it.

RIP, Flower.

The post Foiling The Flower My Greatest Hockey Moment appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Why should you subscribe to DHN+, the members-only version of Detroit Hockey Now? Years ago, there was an ad with a fellow proclaiming that he liked a product so much, he bought the company.

Well, if I weren’t writing for DetroitHockeyNow.com, I’d be a subscriber to DHN+. Whether you opt for the $3.49 monthly charge, or a $29.99 yearly membership, you’ll get bonus coverage accessible only to subscribers and ad-free stories. But best of all, you’re gaining access to the talent and knowledge of one of the best there ever was and ever will be when it comes to hockey writing.

I’ve been fortunate enough to know Kevin Allen as a colleague and call him a friend for 25 years. No one is more connected inside the hockey world than him. He can pull out his smartphone and get in touch with the powerbrokers of the game and find out the answers.

It’s not just that he’s plugged in, though. Kevin’s ability as a story teller is second to none. He’s the complete package – a Hall of Famer in name and in game. Kevin is the template for the ideal hockey writer. He’s type of hockey writer all the rest of us aspire to become someday.

As a reporter, he was the national hockey writer for the largest newspaper in the world, USA Today. That’s the most significant hockey-writing job in America and Kevin filled that role for over 30 years. In the mid-1990s, he was front and center as the Wings rose to prominence as the biggest story in the NHL and he was still there chronicling Detroit’s success when the club won its most recent Stanley Cup in 2008.

Experience That Matters

You know what? So was I. Between us, we bring 60 years experience of covering this team to Detroit Hockey Now.

The first Red Wings story I was assigned to cover was the fallout from the Goose Loonies scandal during the 1988 Western Conference final, when several Red Wings players were caught out after curfew in the aforementioned Edmonton bar, on the night before the Oilers eliminated Detroit from the playoffs.

That was the first time I’d ever be speaking to then-Wings GM Jimmy Devellano and let’s just say that the conversation was short and terse, ending up with someone who wasn’t me hanging up on the other person.

Over 30 years later, Devellano and I still talk. Over the years, the conversations have become much longer and more informative. One night, we happened to be strolling through the bowels of Joe Louis Arena during one of those conversations when Devellano stopped in his tracks and pointed toward a pay phone on the wall.

“That’s the phone I used to tamper with Jacques Demers,” Devellano said. When the Wings lured Demers away from the St. Louis Blues to coach the team in 1986, the NHL fined them significantly for tampering.

Years ago, a description of Wings defenseman Gary Bergman suggested that you knew every game that whatever he had in the tank, you’d get every drop of it. That’s how I’ve viewed myself as a writer. I’m going to give everything I’ve got to unearth the best story.

Informative Analysis From DHN+

If we were to compare ourselves to current Wings, I’d say Kevin was Dylan Larkin. I’m more of a Luke Glendening type. Kevin is a difference maker. But like Larkin, he’s also a superstar who’s willing to work the corners in order to create something special.

I’m no hall of famer, but I’m willing to dig and never seem to run out of story ideas.

Our promise as a team is that DHN+ will deliver to you analysis and in-depth reporting on the Red Wings like no one else. You’ll be informed and entertained. You won’t always like or agree with our assessments and that’s fine. We welcome your opinions and desire your feedback, so disagree away. After all, this site wouldn’t exist without the passionate Red Wings fanbase.

As journalists, we owe the readers the truth and a listening ear. So tell us what you like and what you don’t like about Detroit Hockey Now and DHN+. We’ll do our best to deliver you that product and make it worth the investment of your hard-earned dollars.

Subscribe to DHN+

The post Here’s Why You Should Subscribe To DHN+ appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.