Georges Laraque
Encyclopedia
Georges Laraque is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...

, who last played with the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

 before his contract was bought out in 2010. He is also a host for CFRN
CFRN (AM)
CFRN is a Canadian clear-channel radio station in Edmonton, Alberta. Owned by Astral Media and broadcasting at 1260 kHz on the AM radio dial, the station airs an all-sports format, branded as The Team 1260...

 and deputy leader of the Green Party of Canada
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...

. During his NHL career he played for the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....

, Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....

, Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...

, and Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

. Georges Laraque was born in the city of Montreal, Quebec.

Hockey career

Laraque entered the QMJHL
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...

, where he played for a variety of teams. In 173 games at the junior level, Laraque stockpiled 107 points and 661 penalty minutes. Laraque was a member of the 1996 Granby Prédateurs
Granby Prédateurs
The Granby Prédateurs were a junior ice hockey team originally founded in 1981 after the team moved from Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, where they had previously been known as the Sorel Éperviers. The team was originally known as the Granby Bisons, but changed their name to the Prédateurs in 1995...

 team which won the Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...

.

After finishing junior, Laraque spent parts of three seasons with the AHL's
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

 Hamilton Bulldogs
Hamilton Bulldogs
The Hamilton Bulldogs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at Copps Coliseum, nicknamed 'The Dog Pound'. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens...

.

Despite concerns about his skating, Laraque showed enough at the AHL-level for Edmonton
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....

 to bring him to the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

. Although he was something of a power forward
Power forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, power forward is a loosely applied characterization of a forward who is big and strong, equally capable of playing physically or scoring goals and would most likely have high totals in both points and penalties...

 in junior, Laraque is considered primarily as an enforcer at the NHL level. His 6'3" frame and his habit of fighting made him one of the most feared forwards in the league. He was unanimously awarded the 'Best Fighter' award from The Hockey News
The Hockey News
The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...

in 2003. He was named the number one enforcer by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

in 2008. Despite his reputation as a fighting-only player, Laraque has had offensive bursts during his career and on February 21, 2000, Laraque scored a hat trick
Hat Trick
Hat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to:* hat-trick — in various sports, achieving three goals, wickets, etc. in a single match* Hattrick — online football management game** Hattrick Limited — producers of this game...

 against the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

 and was also named the game's first star.

During the NHL lockout, he played in Sweden, signing on with AIK. In the 2006 off-season, Laraque was up for free agency and wanted to stay in Edmonton and play. He even said he was willing to take a salary cut if the Oilers accepted on giving him a long-term, no-trade clause deal. The Oilers did not agree with Laraque's demand for a no-trade clause thus the contract was never signed. On July 5, 2006, Laraque signed with the Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....

. He scored his first goal as a Coyote against Edmonton on October 26, 2006. Laraque was then traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 2007-08 season.

On July 3, 2008, Laraque signed a contract as a free agent with the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

. He elected to wear number 17 with the Canadien Hockey Club rather than his usual 27, which was Alex Kovalev's number at the time. One of the main reasons why Montreal sought Laraque was to add toughness; in the previous year's playoffs, they had been outplayed physically by the Philadelphia Flyers, and in the first round, they had difficulty countering Boston Bruin Milan Lucic
Milan Lucic
Milan Lucic is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger of Serbian origin currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League . He played major junior with the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League for three seasons and captured a Memorial Cup, while being named...

. On November 21, 2009 Laraque was suspended 5 games after hitting Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

 defenseman Niklas Kronwall
Niklas Kronwall
Niklas Kronwall is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman, an alternate captain for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League...

 with a knee to knee hit. On January 21, 2010 the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

 released Laraque and announced they were planning to buy out the remainder of his contract. His contract was officially bought out on June 15, 2010. Because Laraque had been suffering from two herniated discs in his back during the last season and a half that he had been playing, he subsequently announced his retirement from professional hockey. Laraque took advantage of being released by the Canadiens to offer his help to Haiti, his country of ancestry, and began raising money to rebuild the Grace Children's Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in association with World Vision and the NHLPA..

While playing with the Oilers, Laraque was famous for his "Laraque Leap", in which he would smash his body against the glass at the Rexall Place
Rexall Place
Rexall Place is an indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada situated on the north side of Northlands. It is currently the home to the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League, the Edmonton Rush of the National Lacrosse League and the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL...

 after the Oilers scored a goal.

Political career

On February 13, 2010, Laraque officially joined the Green Party of Canada
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...

. On July 31, 2010, Laraque was officially named to the party's Male Deputy Leader position.

Personal life

Laraque's parents were both born in Haiti. He is known as "Big Georges" or simply "BGL". Laraque became a vegan to protest animal abuse by the meat industry.

In the off-season, Laraque resides in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

, which he considers his home away from home. On Fridays during the off-season, Laraque can often be heard hosting Team 1260 in Edmonton. Laraque also commits a lot of his time to local charity work to help the local people of Edmonton, Pittsburgh and in response to the 2010 earthquake, the people of Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

.

In February, 2010, Laraque was announced as a "goodwill ambassador" for TekSavvy Solutions, an internet and landline phone provider based in Chatham, Ontario
Chatham, Ontario
Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...

.

In 2011, Laraque took part in the CBC's Canada Reads literary competition as the celebrity defender for author Angie Abdou
Angie Abdou
Angie Abdou is a Canadian fiction writer. Her most recent novel, The Canterbury Trail, was published by Brindle & Glass Press in February 2011. Her shorter works have been published in several Canadian journals.-Early life and education:...

's The Bone Cage.

Laraque struggled as a young Black athlete in a predominately white sport. He faced numerous challenges growing up, and was always forced to deal with the racism around him. The racism got so bad and hate-filled when finally George’s dad pulled him out of hockey for a year when he was 12. Laraque loved hockey and decided to play again despite the fact that he was treated poorly by his opponents, who swore and spit at him on the ice. Laraque was widely known for fighting in the NHL, which he learned out of necessity as he grew up always having to defend himself. Laraque dedicated the fact that he made the NHL to all the people that verbally abused him growing up.

On May 21, 2010, Georges Laraque squared off with mixed martial artist Georges St.-Pierre for 3 rounds of grappling for takedowns on TSN TV show Off The Record. Laraque did not score a single takedown.

Transactions

  • Signed with Phoenix as a free agent in 2006
  • Traded to Pittsburgh in 2007.
  • Signed with Montreal as a free agent on July 3, 2008
  • Retired on August 2, 2010

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...

Team League GP G
Goal (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...

A
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...

Pts
Point (ice hockey)
Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...

PIM
Penalty (ice hockey)
A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...

GP G A Pts PIM
1993–94
1993–94 QMJHL season
The 1993–94 QMJHL season was the 25th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The QMJHL unveils a special logo/patch for its 25th anniversary. The league expands northward, granting an expansion franchise in Val-d'Or, Quebec. Thirteen teams played 72 games each in the schedule...

Saint-Jean Lynx
Saint-Jean Lynx
Saint-Jean Lynx were a junior ice hockey team which played from 1989 to 1995 in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They played at the Colisée Isabelle-Brasseur. In 1982 they moved from Sherbrooke and were formerly the Sherbrooke Castors. They were known as the Saint-Jean Castors from 1982 until...

QMJHL 70 11 11 22 142 4 0 0 0 7
1994–95
1994–95 QMJHL season
The 1994–95 QMJHL season was the 26th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The QMJHL unveils an updated logo one season after its special 25th anniversary logo, using a stylized ice skate and the letters of the league's French acronym...

Saint-Jean Lynx QMJHL 62 19 22 41 259 7 1 1 2 42
1995–96
1995–96 QMJHL season
The 1995–96 QMJHL season was the 27th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The league continued to expand eastward, adding an expansion team in Moncton, New Brunswick, and the Saint-Jean Lynx relocated to the eastern Quebec city of Rimouski in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region...

Laval Titan Collège Français QMJHL 11 8 13 21 76
1995–96 Saint-Hyacinthe Lasers QMJHL 8 3 4 7 59
1995–96 Granby Prédateurs
Granby Prédateurs
The Granby Prédateurs were a junior ice hockey team originally founded in 1981 after the team moved from Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, where they had previously been known as the Sorel Éperviers. The team was originally known as the Granby Bisons, but changed their name to the Prédateurs in 1995...

QMJHL 22 9 7 16 125 18 7 6 13 104
1996–97
1996–97 AHL season
The 1996–97 AHL season was the 61st season of the American Hockey League. The league renames its divisions due to relocating teams. The Northern Conferences consists of the Atlantic Division becoming the Canadian Division, and the Central Division becoming the Empire State Division...

Hamilton Bulldogs
Hamilton Bulldogs
The Hamilton Bulldogs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at Copps Coliseum, nicknamed 'The Dog Pound'. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens...

AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

73 14 20 34 179 15 1 3 4 12
1997–98
1997–98 AHL season
The 1997–98 AHL season was the 62nd season of the American Hockey League. The AHL shifts teams in their divisions, and the Canadian division reverts to being named Atlantic division. The Northern conference is renamed the Eastern conference, and the Southern conference renamed the Western...

Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 46 10 20 30 154 3 0 0 0 11
1997–98 Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....

NHL 11 0 0 0 59
1998–99 Edmonton Oilers NHL 39 3 2 5 57 4 0 0 0 2
1998–99
1998–99 AHL season
The 1998–99 AHL season was the 63rd season of the American Hockey League. Nineteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Providence Bruins finished first overall in the regular season, and won their first Calder Cup championship.-Team changes:...

Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 25 6 8 14 93
1999–00 Edmonton Oilers NHL 76 8 8 16 123 5 0 1 1 6
2000–01 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 13 16 29 148 6 1 1 2 8
2001–02 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 5 14 19 157
2002–03 Edmonton Oilers NHL 64 6 7 13 110 6 1 3 4 4
2003–04 Edmonton Oilers NHL 66 6 11 17 99
2005–06 Edmonton Oilers NHL 72 2 10 12 73 15 1 1 2 44
2006–07 Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....

NHL 56 5 17 22 52
2006–07 Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...

NHL 17 0 2 2 18 2 0 0 0 0
2007–08 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 71 4 9 13 141 15 1 2 3 4
2008–09
2008–09 NHL season
The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the...

Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

NHL 33 0 2 2 61 4 0 0 0 4
2009–10 Montreal Canadiens NHL 28 1 2 3 28
NHL totals 695 53 100 153 1126 57 4 8 12 72

See also


External links

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