(Thurso) “Guy, Guy, Guy” chanted about 100 Thurso citizens on Thursday when Premier François Legault officially announced that Highway 50 would now be known as Autoroute Guy-Lafleur.
Standing between the green road sign that read “Autoroute Guy-Lafleur” and the Blond Demon statue in front of Thurso City Hall, the Premier was able to indulge his well-known love of hockey. “The fondest memories I have with my dad is sitting down to watch a game, watching Guy Lafleur play,” he said.
“On the ice, he was like an artist. He was smart and good at hockey,” he said, referring to the Thurso native’s blonde hair. He also did not fail to make the nationalist fiber vibrate. “The most important thing for Quebecers is pride. We had the best player in the National League in Quebec. »
However, he took the praise far beyond the national sport by speaking of the man that was Guy Lafleur. “He wasn’t just good on the ice. He was exceptional as a human being too. An accessible man, a generous man, a humble man, close to the world, direct, sometimes too much, and close to his origins. He was proud to say he was from Thurso. »
Responsible for the Outaouais and Member of Parliament for Papineau, where the municipality is located, the Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe, thus illustrated the scope of the gesture: “Every time we go to borrow it now, that we leave Montreal, we leave Gatineau, we will think of him and that, I think, was the best tribute we could pay him. »
Several members of the legendary right winger’s family were on hand, but it was his son Martin Lafleur who took the floor to express his gratitude for this gesture. “On behalf of the entire Lafleur family, I would like to thank the Government of Quebec for officially incorporating my father’s name into the rich heritage of our province,” he said.
