Rangers players join Martin St. Louis for mom's funeral

LAVAL, Quebec (AP) — New York Rangers coaches and players have joined star forward Martin St. Louis at his mother's funeral outside Montreal.

St. Louis' former Tampa Bay Lightning teammate, Steven Stamkos, and Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur also attended Sunday.

His mother, 63, died suddenly three days before Mother's Day in the middle of the Rangers' second-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

St. Louis didn't miss a game and provided a lift to his teammates as they battled back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series.

The Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens 7-2 on Saturday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final.

A handful of hockey fans watched as the Rangers left the team bus and entered the Laval funeral home.

Game 2 of the series is Monday in Montreal.