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Lafleur, 69, had surgery last November to
remove the upper lobe of one of his lungs as well as the lymph
nodes. He also had quadruple bypass heart surgery in September
2019.
"It's a big blow, but I am continuing my battle with confidence
and serenity thanks to the support of the CHUM," Lafleur said in
the statement.
The Canadiens addressed Lafleur's situation with a post on their
official Twitter account.
"With the news that Guy Lafleur's cancer has returned, the
Canadiens family would like to send best wishes to our legendary
No. 10 as he faces this latest challenge," the team wrote on
Wednesday. "Our thoughts are with you on your road to recovery,
Guy."
Lafleur was a five-time Stanley Cup champion for the Canadiens
(1973, 1976-79) and twice won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP
(1976-77, 1977-78). He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1977
as MVP of the playoffs.
Lafleur scored 518 goals and had 1,246 points in 14 seasons with
the Canadiens (1971-85). He was the first player in NHL history
at have at least 50 goals and 100 points in six consecutive
seasons.
Lafleur requested a trade prior to the 1984-85 season and
retired after playing 19 games when a move wasn't made. He later
came out of retirement and played one season for the New York
Rangers (1988-89) and two with the Quebec Nordiques (1989-91).
He retired again in 1991, finishing his NHL career with 1,353
points (560 goals, 793 assists) in 1,126 games.
Lafleur was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 before
starting his comeback.
He was named one of the NHL's top 100 players of all time in
2017 by the league. He was the sixth Canadiens player to have
his number (No. 10) retired.
--Field Level Media
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