Lafleur says rap sheet ‘so ridiculous’ in tell-all DVD

NHL Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur says his new criminal record is ridiculous and also inconvenient because it prevents him from travelling to the United States.

Lafleur made the admission in a highly anticipated DVD documentary called Il était une fois …Guy Lafleur(Once upon a time … Guy Lafleur) unveiled this week in Montreal.

In it, Lafleur speaks frankly about his life, career, and his recent legal problems involving his troubled son, Mark, who suffers from Tourette’s syndrome and is a recovering addict.

The Habs legend was slapped with a criminal record earlier this year for giving contradictory testimony during a bail hearing for his son, who was standing on assault charges. Lafleur told the court his son had been respecting the bail conditions, when he had not.

In the documentary, Lafleur says the criminal record “makes no sense” and is “so ridiculous.”

But he qualifies his frustration by saying he never got discouraged, even as the media attention on his family intensified.

In an interview with CBC News on Monday, Lafleur concedes the last few years have been extremely difficult for him and his family.

But he says he never intended to mislead the court in his son’s case.

“You go home, your son is arrested, and he is in jail. It’s a slap in the face. It’s not a thing that’s easy to deal with,” Lafleur said in the telephone interview.

Mark Lafleur was eventually sentenced to 15 months of community service earlier this year after pleading guilty in 2008 to charges related to a tumultuous romantic relationship with a teenage girl.

The court case projected Lafleur and his son into the media spotlight.

The DVD focuses primarily on Lafleur’s 20-year NHL career, in which he played for the Habs, the New York Rangers and the Quebec City Nordiques between 1971 and 1991.

It premiered in Montreal on Monday night, and will go on sale on Nov. 10.