Let this morning's news about former Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers legend Guy Lafleur be a lesson to all of you "cool" dads out there: If you're going to be your son's wing-man when he's out on bail, don't lie about it in court.
From the CBC, news that the Hockey Hall of Famer has been found guilty of giving contradictory testimony and misleading a judge:
When handing down the verdict Friday morning at the Montreal courthouse, Quebec court judge Claude Parent said it was obvious Lafleur knew he was lying when he first testified at his son's bail hearing. Lafleur showed no reaction when Parent announced the verdict.
After his son was arrested in 2007 on assault charges, Lafleur agreed to supervise him as part of his bail conditions, which included a curfew. When asked in court if Mark had ever failed to spend a night at home during the time he was under curfew, Lafleur said no.
But at his son's review for the bail hearing, Lafleur told a judge that he drove Mark to a hotel to meet his 16-year old girlfriend, because he felt it was important for them to spend some intimate time together.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but Guy actually told the court last month that "I thought that at 22, he had a right to some intimacy." Bow-chicka-wow-wow ...
While the HBO "OZ"-like scenario of a hockey legend going into the general population of a penitentiary is surreal, it's also unlikely. Lafleur faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in the ultimate sin bin, but the defense in the case is asking for a stiff fine while the prosecution is seeking "suspended jail time," according to CTV.
Such a shame this had to all happen during what's otherwise been a law-abiding, morally commendable and spectacularly successful centennial year for the Canadiens ...
