How to honor Guy Lafleur with toponymy?

In the hours following his death blonde and demonthe Quebec Government quickly raised the idea of ​​naming Highway 50 after Guy Lafleur, which connects Mirabel to Gatineau and passes through Thurso, the town where the legendary hockey player grew up.

The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, has already indicated that the City of Montreal is already thinking about renaming a public space, a street or a park in recognition of Guy Lafleur. The Quebec mayor also expressed his intention to commemorate the life of the former Nordiques and Remparts player.

The renaming of Avenue du Colisée is one of the hypotheses raised. Guy Lafleur already has a statue in his likeness near the Videotron Center.

Before deciding, municipal authorities have to wait at least a year after death. This is a bare minimum, recalls Jonathan Cha, an urbanologist who specializes in public space and heritage. He was particularly interested in the area where hockey was played in cities, including Montreal.

You need to make sure not to take thoughtful action, he explains. The City of Montréal will soon adopt a recognition intervention framework and it is specified in the document that it is necessary to have hindsight ideally five years after a person’s death in order to position oneself and make such a decision.

The law, for now, requires a year. This is the deadline honored by the City of Montreal before renaming a section of Faillon Street in honor of former baseball player Gary Carter near Jarry Park.

For Jonathan Cha, there is no doubt that Guy Lafleur deserves public remembrance, but the options are not limited to places or streets.

He is a larger than life figure who has influenced generations, so he certainly only deserves to receive an act of remembrance. Now which is more appropriate? We want to avoid that someone with a monument also has a street name, because so many people have never been commemorated in history. There is already a statue of Lafleur near the Bell Center.

In his hometown of Thurso, Guy Lafleur not only already has a statue in his likeness, but the arena and a street also bear his name.

Renaming a street or a square is easier or classic, but it’s not the only option. And this is not what you should prefer. There are also material commemorations or ceremonies in which the population can participate.underlined the urbanologist.

If Montreal, for example, is renaming a street or a public space, Jonathan Cha recommends that the chosen location be anchored in Guy Lafleur’s skill.

Since Lafleur does not live in Montreal, he believes the recognition should be attributed to the Bell Center site or the old Forum, the place where Lafleur did the rain and the good weather.

Maurice Richard, who lives in the Ahuntsic district, saw the park in front of his home renamed in honor after his death. The provincial riding of Crémazie, where Ahuntsic is located, was also renamed Maurice-Richard in 2017.

Jean Béliveau, who is also entitled to a national funeral like Richard and Lafleur, does not yet deserve a toponymic commemoration of the City of Montreal.

There is indeed, in Longueuil, where he lives, the Coliseum and rue Jean-Béliveau. And again, the renaming of rue Victoria to rue Jean-Béliveau has provoked discontent among some residents.

Opposition was also heard when the Conservative government wanted to name the new Champlain Bridge in honor of Maurice Richard.

Guy Lafleur’s contribution is quite unanimous and there is some pressure on the type of politics and the media is contributing to it, but there is a risk that it will be recalled too quickly, Jonathan Cha explains. We saw it on Champlain Bridge. Not in not a legend or not worshiped Maurice Richard, but in St. Lawrence River, an explorer like Samuel de Champlain remained more relevant. It takes a step back and bright, despite the emotion of the moment.

Montreal options

Michel Vigneault is a sports historian and lecturer at UQAM. He favored three options for streets or areas that could be renamed in honor of Guy Lafleur near the old Forum.

He thinks of Atwater Street, Lambert-Closse Street or Cabot Park, named in honor of explorer Jean Cabot. His choice would be to rename the north side of Atwater Avenue in honor of Guy Lafleur.

I will keep Atwater Market and Atwater Street south of Notre-Dame Street because it leads to the aqueduct and Edwin Atwater was an important businessman and helped build the aqueduct in Montreal, “Michel Vigneault said. Then I will name it for of Guy Lafleur north of the Côte-des-Neiges.

The Forum, theater of the spectacular rises of Flowersis located on Sainte-Catherine Street between Atwater and Lambert-Closse.

Raphaël-Lambert Closse was one of the first inhabitants of Montréal under Chomedey de Maisonneuve who arrived in 1647, five years after the city was founded, the historian recalls. Is it easier to change these street names? It’s possible, but we need to see what the population thinks about it.

The idea of ​​changing only one section of an existing street is an interesting way to consider according to urbanologist Jonathan Cha.

In Paris, for example, major boulevards change names regularly because there is toponymic overload, he explains. We have less of that in Quebec and that is an option. One thing is certain, you should offer an artery with a definite presence, or a link that is well anchored and resonates in the territory.

Changing the name to the Lucien-L’Allier metro station, which serves the Bell Center, would also be an option, though Michel Vigneault wants the street to keep its name.

Lucien L’Allier was the former adviser to Mayor Jean Drapeau and he was an important figure for the city of Montrealunderlined the historian.

He put aside the idea he read on Twitter to change the name of Stanley Street to the name of blonde and demon.

Stanley Street was named in honor of Lord Stanley’s father who gave his name to the Stanley Cup, the historian said. Stanley himself was the prime minister of Britain. It is very difficult to change the name of the street, because of the importance of the character.

Michel Vigneault is also open to the idea that Highway 50 uses Guy Lafleur’s name.

It’s probably easier, because it doesn’t have a name yet and it links Mirabel to Gatineau, the lecturer explains. The 40 already bears the name of Félix-Leclerc, the 20, of Jean-Lesage. Why not 50 for Guy Lafleur?

That said, Guy-Lafleur streets could grow significantly with new developments over the next few years.

The city of Vaudreuil-Dorion, for example, already has a place where all the streets are named after hockey players. Elmer Lach, Toe Blake, Émile Bouchard, Silvio Mantha, Aurèle Joliat, Howie Morenz, Jacques Plante, Maurice Richard, Claude Provost and Lorne Worsley were all honored there.

It’s an interesting move, but not the techniques and principles the foremost in toponymy, judge Jonathan Cha. But towns or municipalities cannot be prevented from giving street names to people, even if they have not had active influence in the region or in the local community.