How Guy Lafleur made a new Canadian a hockey fan for life

This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ. 

Last Friday morning, I was in Montreal at a sports sociology conference when a friend texted me the news: Guy Lafleur had died. His battle with lung cancer was widely known, but the news still came as a shock.

Sadness swept over me immediately. Being situated less than a block from the Bell Centre, I felt the heaviness in the air, in the comments online, and in the voice of my mother when I called her. "I know," she replied sadly. "I heard it on the news." 

She asked if I was going to the Bell Centre to pay homage and I assured her I would. I also offered to stop by city's famous Notre-Dame Basilica and light a candle. She laughed in appreciation. But I knew that since it is the last stretch of Ramadan, some of her prayers would go out to his family, and his memory. 

The entire Montreal Canadiens organization is mourning the loss of legendary Hall-of-Famer and Canadiens Ambassador Guy Lafleur, who passed away at the age of 70.<br><br>Rest in peace, Guy.