Sad news from NHL legend Guy Lafleur.

The recent and sudden passing of Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Bossy had a major impact on the hockey world and it came as little surprise that many of Bossy's former opponents, peers and friends all wanted to share their thoughts on the New York Islanders icon following his death after a battle with cancer. Among those former opponents who wished to share their thoughts on Bossy was fellow National Hockey League legend Guy Lafleur.

Lafleur spoke with Marc De Foy of the Journal de Montreal and much to his credit asked that his condolences to the Bossy family be mentioned in the article that would be written about the interview, which they were. As you would expect Lafleur sung the praises of the man who defeated him and his Canadiens in the 1984 Prince of Wales Conference Finals, speaking of his integrity, his commitment to his teammates and his motivation to win, but it was what Lafleur would let slip at the end of the interview that will stick with many.

You see Bossy died of lung cancer and Lafleur himself has been having his own battles with lung cancer since 2019. Naturally, De Foy would ask Lafleur how he was doing in his own struggles with the disease and the update from the former first overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens was not a promising one. In spite of what it would appear to imply, Lafleur informed the journalist that he had ceased taking all of his medications recently.

"It's rough, it's painful," admitted the Canadiens icon as per De Foy's report. "My weight has dropped to 169 lbs. It makes no sense. I no longer take any medication. I quit all that at Christmas. I want to have a good quality of life. I take life as it is."

De Foy would add that he had never heard Lafleur sound so frail before and given Lafleur's comments about his drastic weight loss I can certainly believe it.

Let's hope for the best for Lafleur in his own battles with this terrible disease.