Quebec Premier Fran莽ois Legault says the province has offered to hold a national funeral for Montreal Canadiens great Guy Lafleur.

He told a news conference in Montreal today that all of Quebec is in mourning following the news of LafleurB次元官网网址檚 death from cancer at age 70.

Legault says it will be up to LafleurB次元官网网址檚 family to decide if they want the national honours, which were given to Canadiens stars Maurice Richard and Jean B茅liveau when they died.

He called Lafleur the greatest player in NHL history and invited the public to sign an online book of condolences on the governmentB次元官网网址檚 website.

Legault also says the government is looking at other tributes, including the possible renaming of a highway in the Outaouais region, where Lafleur was raised.

He spoke next to a framed, autographed Lafleur jersey and said the player, who won five Stanley Cups with the Habs, helped show Quebecers how to be winners.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 important to win if we want to have a culture of winners, and Guy Lafleur was a winner,B次元官网网址� he said.

Hockey fans in Montreal gathered Friday near the Bell Centre to pay tribute to Lafleur, who was described as a player who represented Quebec with grace on and off the ice.

Bouquets of flowers, notes and a pair of hockey gloves were placed at the base of the Lafleur statue located outside the Montreal CanadiensB次元官网网址� arena, as a steady trickle of fans stopped by to pay their respects following the announcement of his death at age 70.

Dominique Vinson, 64, said the flashy star with the scoring touch was his hero growing up.

B次元官网网址淚t was almost a guarantee he would score every time heB次元官网网址檇 go down the ice with the puck,B次元官网网址� Vinson said. B次元官网网址淗e was one of a kind.B次元官网网址�

He said LafleurB次元官网网址檚 career hearkens back to the CanadiensB次元官网网址� glory days, when fans could count on the Quebec-born superstar known as B次元官网网址渢he FlowerB次元官网网址� to bring the Stanley Cup home to the province. Vinson said that in later years, he came to respect Lafleur for his demeanour off the ice and community work.

B次元官网网址淗e did represent (Quebecers) very well on the hockey scene and also as a human being,B次元官网网址� Vinson said. B次元官网网址淗e was a nice man; no wonder he was my hero.B次元官网网址�

The fans on Friday who visited the Bell Centre spanned all ages, from toddlers in tiny Habs jerseys to 73-year-old Nona Thomassie, who laid a tiny Inukshuk figurine at the base of the statue.

She said her family in her northern Quebec hometown of Kangirsuk had all been big fans of Lafleur B次元官网网址渂ecause he was a fast and a good scorer.B次元官网网址�

Len Gladson, a former Montrealer who now lives in Vancouver, said it was LafleurB次元官网网址檚 grace, as much as his skill, that set him apart as a player.

B次元官网网址淭he way he gracefully skated and got open somehow B次元官网网址� he wasnB次元官网网址檛 the fastest and he didnB次元官网网址檛 have the greatest shot but he just knew where to be,B次元官网网址� Gladson said.

Some fans outside the arena were too young to have seen Lafleur play. They included Patricia N茅ron, who stopped by to lay flowers along with a handwritten note. While she never saw Lafleur play live, she grew up hearing stories about his exploits.

B次元官网网址淗e was my fatherB次元官网网址檚 idol,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲hen I was young, he was telling me stories of what Guy Lafleur did instead of telling me bedtime stories.B次元官网网址�

脡liane Rioux, 16, said she started to appreciate Lafleur while watching old Canadiens games during the pandemic. Doing so connected her to her father, who is a big Lafleur fan, she said.

B次元官网网址淲e pass hockey symbols down through the family,B次元官网网址� she said.

Legault said it will be up to LafleurB次元官网网址檚 family to decide if they want the national honours, which were given to Canadiens stars Maurice Richard and Jean B茅liveau when they died. The government, he added, is also looking at other tributes, including the possible renaming of a highway in the Outaouais region, where Lafleur was raised.

B次元官网网址擬organ Lowrie, The Canadian Press