Brendan Shanahan made an important token gesture on Sunday inviting Rick Fife, Wendell Clarke and Doug Gilmore to hop on a plane for a quick visit to Montreal.

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In his role as head of the Maples Leafs, Shanahan wanted to personally offer his condolences to the Lafleur family. He was accompanied by three former foliage glories.

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He didn’t need me an arm to convince me,” Rick Fife said with a smile. This guy was a good player, and it was a pleasure to play against him. But when I was 11 and stayed on PEI, the Canadians had played a pre-season game. I had missed school and met Eddie Balchuck. I helped him with equipment and gave socks to all the CH players. I still remember her today at 62 years old. »

Sadnes

“It’s hard not to cry,” added Gilmore, who played for two years with a lockup team, in 2001-2002 and 2002-03. Growing up, I was a cheerleader for the Leafs, but I loved watching the big stars in the NHL. The guy was a champion in the 1970s, and I later played against him in the National Hockey League. »