Man Lafleur’s flower energy revived NHL dynasty

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bulls of the week

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The information that Man Lafleur handed away from most cancers on Friday was an enormous loss for his prolonged household, associates, former teammates, and the media and commentators who’ve adopted his illustrious profession. This can be a unhappy day for hockey, hockey followers and the legendary Montreal Canadiens model.

Nevertheless, it’s also a chance to have fun a particular life and profession, principally in one of many spiritual epicenters of hockey. Taking part in beneath super stress from the day he hit the ice in his first NHL sport in October 1971, #1. One draft choose helped the Canadiens of the late Seventies grow to be one of many sport’s best dynasties.

He was the most effective participant of his era and a uniquely gifted ahead and playmaker. Athlete. Rock star. ambassador. Few mixed the extent of ability, artistry and panache that made “The Flower” some of the revered gamers of all time.

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There was “stream” in his golden mane of hair earlier than the phrase even existed. And not using a helmet, aside from the primary three seasons of his profession — simply when the lid opened, his 50-goal seasons started — LaFleur, taking pictures into the impartial zone and correct shot, epitomized how harmful he may very well be a sport changer.

Simply ask Don Cherry, who watched from the bench as maybe probably the most well-known aim of LaFleur’s profession got here on Could 10, 1979, in Recreation 7 of the Stanley Cup semi-final sequence on the Montreal Discussion board. LaFleur transformed the long-lasting bench from too many males on the ice that have been imposed on Cherry and the Boston Bruins, scoring a aim with a superb shot proper from behind the blue line to ship hometown followers right into a pandemonium with 1:14 left essential time. . Yvon Lambert then scored in additional time to eradicate the Bruins, securing a five-game Stanley Cup Ultimate victory over the superior rivals New York Rangers and giving LaFleur his fifth and ultimate championship with Montreal.

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Carrying No. 10 for the Khabs, he grew to become the primary participant in NHL historical past to attain six consecutive 50-goal seasons and the primary to attain 100 factors for six consecutive years. He’ll eternally be remembered as a Montreal Canadiens legend and one of many sport’s most good-looking masters. RIP: Demon Blonde.

Bears of the week

It has been a foul week – the unsuitable Moneyball – for the Oakland Athletics and Main League Baseball. The crew with the smallest lively payroll among the many majors ($31.8 million) set new field workplace data—since at the least 1980—of their first grandstand on the RingCentral Coliseum. A minor opening day crowd of 17,503 changed into 3,748 within the second sport and a pair of,703 within the third sport.

These attendance figures are these of minor league baseball, making the 63,132-seat Coliseum the largest stadium ever within the majors. And but the worst a part of this complete Oakland baseball bear market is that all of it appears deliberate. Athletics followers don’t desire John J. Fisher to personal property, and Fisher does not appear to need the established order both.

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Partly fan boycott and half stadium power-up by the possession group, the empty stands are an eyesore for MLB, nearly begging for the A’s to be rescheduled time and time once more as a sports activities enterprise. cleaning soap opera for over a decade.

That is what makes the state of affairs in Oakland this week so discouraging – added insult to damage after years of failed stadium negotiations. A breakup appears inevitable.

Advertising communications govt and sports activities enterprise commentator Tom Meienknecht is the pinnacle of Emblematica Model Builders and host of The Sport Market on BNN Bloomberg Radio 1410 and TSN Radio nationwide. Observe Meienknecht at: twitter.com/TheSportMarket

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