National funeral for Lafleur to be held May 3 in Montreal

MONTREAL — The family of late Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur has agreed to national funeral for hockey great, to be held May 3.

Quebec Premier François Legault announced through his Twitter account today the funeral will be held at 11 a.m. at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral in downtown Montreal.

Ahead of the funeral, Lafleur will lie in state at Bell Centre on May 1 from noon to 8 p.m. and May 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Legault had made the province's offer of national honours in the hours following Lafleur's death Friday at age 70 following a battle with lung cancer.

National honours were also granted to Canadiens stars Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau when they died.

A special ceremony will be held tonight in Lafleur's honour before the Montreal Canadiens' home game against the Boston Bruins.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2022.