What is there to say about a legend like Guy Lafleur? One of the greatest National Hockey League players ever to feature in the game, he is synonymous with being one of the Montreal Canadiens’ holy triumvirate – along with Jean Béliveau and Maurice Richard.
Transcendent of culture and language, in English he is known as “The Flower”, in French, “Le Démon Blond”, in either tongue, people would simply chant Guy!!! Immediately recognizable with his flowing blond locks, it always seemed like no one could touch the man as he flew down the ice (in a time when many players were still not wearing helmets – himself included).
Looking back, it is no real surprise that Lafleur had the career he did. . . lighting up the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (on the Quebec Ramparts) with seasons of 103 and 130 goals (in 69-70 and 70-71 respectively) – fourth and second all-time (number one is held by some guy named Mario Lemieux).
What would follow? A seventeen year career (fourteen with the Habs, one with the Rangers, and two with the Nordiques), a hand-full of Stanley Cups (yes, five in total), the first player to score 50 goals and 100 points in six straight seasons, and ending his career of 1126 games with a mind-boggling 560 goals and 793 assists = 1353 points (currently twenty-seventh all-time in this category and number one with the Canadiens). Other noteworthy accomplishments: three Art Ross Trophies for most points (1976, 77, 78), two Hart Memorial Trophies for most valuable player to his team (1977, 78), three Lester B. Pearson Awards for most outstanding player (1976, 77, 78), and one Conn Smythe Trophy for MVP of the playoffs (1977).
And, of course, everything you would expect would soon follow – his number 10 retired by the Montreal Canadiens, made an Officer of the Order of Canada (in 1980), Hockey Hall of Famer (inducted in 1988 – he would become one of only three players to return to the game after receiving the honour – the other two, Gordie Howe, and, once again, Mario Lemieux), Canadian Sports Hall of Fame (in 1996), bronze sculpture at the Bell Centre, and named one of the hundred greatest players as part of the League’s Centennial Celebration (the Hockey News placed him at number 11 in their 1998 rankings).
I must say that Lafleur was more than generous with his time. . . allowing me to question him on his lengthy career. Make sure to check it out below to hear some superb stories about him time in the QMJHL and NHL. When then conversation turned to his favourite film, he did not have one, but rather, an entire franchise – Bond, James Bond. Though I tried to prod him towards a specific movie, he was reluctant to choose one (though he did mention Goldfinger), so I’m going to take a look at the magic that is this historic franchise.
Arguably the most successful film franchise of all-time, it is unlikely that many thought back in 1962 that a little movie called Dr. No would be the genesis of a multi-billion dollar series of motion pictures. Yet it has done just that, spanning decades of the Cold War, the Swinging Sixties, conservative and liberal ebbs and flows, 9/11 terrorism (and the landscape that has developed since), major technological advancements, and so much more. . . Bond has been there for all of it, making cultural observations yet never getting too heavy to ensure that it remains pure escapism.
It has long been said that ‘men want to be him, and women want to be with him”, each actor bringing his own special touch to the character: Sean Connery, a tough yet suave misogynist who treats his women rough and his arch-nemeses rougher – his Scottish brogue and hairy chest the pinnacle of sixties sex appeal!; Roger Moore, debonaire with a dry wit made for the seventies – all playful and tongue in cheek; Timothy Dalton, the more stoic and serious Bond – more akin to author Ian Fleming’s original vision; Pierce Brosnan, an Irish amalgam of all those who had come before – rough yet slick, serious yet amusing – a Bond crossbreed; Daniel Craig, more along the lines of Dalton, he has taken a more grave, depressed angle, a more realistic and conservatively leaning Bond for the twenty-first century; and then there is George Lazenby, the black sheep of the franchise. . . a one-off coming between two Connery efforts, his lanky look and eccentric portrayal is a true oddity – his film perhaps the most love it or hate it of the series.
Each actor brings with him his own personal fan club. . . Bond fanatics have the innate ability to argue for their favourite (often quite vehemently) whilst still loving the other actors and their films as well. Intriguingly, almost every Bond actor had been previously wanted for the role. . . Roger Moore was unavailable earlier due to his commitment to The Saint, when Dalton was in his mid 20s, Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli had discussed casting him as the much coveted character (but they agreed he was still too young for the role), then when Dalton did get the role, Brosnan was the first choice (his Remington Steele contract knocking him out of contention back in the 1980s) – fascinating how long these actors were on the production teams’ radar.
But, of course, it is not only the lead actors, but so much more. The Bond franchise has developed a formula for success. . . an adrenaline pumping action packed opening, a theme song performed by a major artist (Tom Jones, Paul McCartney and the Wings, or Adele), exotic locations, a maniacal villain (be it a Dr. No or a Goldfinger), his secret lair (the inside of a volcano or the moon), a more than dangerous henchman with a cool look (Oddjob or Jaws), nameless baddies with horrible aim, two sultry Bond girls – a yin to a yang (Honey Ryder, Pussy Galore, maybe some Holly Goodhead?), Bond’s support staff (M, Moneypenny, and Q – for me, the franchise partially died the day Desmond Llewelyn passed away – the man was there for seventeen films, Lois Maxwell’s Moneypenny was also key – she was in fourteen features), and Bond’s ahead of their time gadgets (including his fully loaded, and I mean fully loaded, vehicle).
As of today spanning fifty-two years, twenty-six films (if you count Sean Connery’s Never Say Never Again), six Bonds, and more than fifteen billion dollars when including inflation (a number even Dr. Evil would be proud of), it is hard to argue with this British super spy – and not hard to see why Le Démon Blond loves the entire franchise. So put on your best white tuxedo, grab a martini (shaken, not stirred), and enjoy these spectacular motion pictures – they are most definitely not for your eyes only.
***N.B. I have not included mention of the original Casino Royale (1967), a spy comedy produced by Columbia Pictures (not part of Broccoli’s stable) starring the eclectic cast of David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, Woody Allen and Orson Welles, among others.