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Entries with the tag: Georges+Laraque
Laraque Says Sorry For Appearing In Sexist Ad
by Paul on 10/13/09 at 03:57 PM ET
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from the CP at TSN,
NHL tough guy Georges Laraque is pumping out apologies faster than he pummels his opponents’ faces.
The Montreal Canadiens enforcer says he’s sorry for appearing in an ad being slammed as sexist.
Women’s groups have decried the ad for an alcohol drink in which Laraque plays street hockey with a group of scantily clad women.
continued and I posted the video a a few week’s back, you can view it here.
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An Off-Ice Looks At Laraque
by Paul on 10/13/09 at 08:15 AM ET
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from Cheryl Cornacchia of the Montreal Gazette,
“At the end of the day when I retire I don’t want to be remembered by how many people I’ve beaten up,” said Laraque, who was born in Montreal in 1976, the eldest of three children of Haitian parents who arrived here in 1975. “I want to be remembered for the impact I have had in the community.”
After seeing Earthlings, a powerful documentary on the exploitation of animals for the pet, food, clothing and entertainment industries, and for which he is now doing narration for a French-language version, he said he decided to do something to help animals.
Quebec is known as the puppy mill capital of Canada, he notes. Unlike the guys he roughs it up with on the ice, “willing combatants,” he said, they have no choice.
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How Georges Laraque Keep In Shape This Summer
by Paul on 09/28/09 at 05:18 PM ET
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GEORGES LARAQUE VS OCTANE GIRLS from 33mag on Vimeo.
Thanks to Habs Inside/Out for the pointer…
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The New-Look Laraque
by Paul on 09/14/09 at 07:52 AM ET
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from Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette,
But this autumn, the “Cirque Georges Laraque,” as he calls it, has pulled down the big top. If you want the Ringling Brothers, he said on the eve of Canadiens training camp, you’ll need to go elsewhere.
Inside and out, this is a new Laraque, one who aims to focus purely on hockey and his role on a virtually new team.
He dropped 20 pounds over the summer, his current 245 the lightest he’s been since he was drafted into the NHL by Edmonton in 1995.
He dramatically changed his diet. As a vegan, Laraque now eats no meat, fish or dairy products.
He says he’ll no longer be the go-to guy for an insatiable media machine whose talk-shows and frothing panelists covet him for the ratings spike he provides.
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Laraque Was Right
by Paul on 08/12/09 at 09:49 AM ET
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I caught this yesterday but did not post. However, I took Georges recommendation and watched Pay if Forward late last night. He was right!
from MontrealCanadiens.com,
We caught up Georges Laraque and put him on the hot seat to get his take on life’s little necessities. Here’s what the veteran Habs enforcer recommends checking out to read, watch or listen to if you’ve got a few spare hours to kill.
Movie everyone has to see:Pay it Forward. That’s my favorite movie of all time.
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Canadiens Stop Playing, Laraque Starts Blogging
by Paul on 04/25/09 at 09:13 AM ET
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from GeorgesLaraque.com,
Hi everyone, I’m pleased to finally launch my new website. I know it took a while, but I will make sure it’s updated regularly and that my blog has new entries on a weekly basis. This site will be a way for me to share a bit of information about myself with you my fans.
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Laraque Calls New Fighting Recommendations A Joke
by Paul on 03/10/09 at 08:46 PM ET
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from Darren Dreger of TSN,
Montreal Canadiens forward Georges Laraque is outraged by recommendations made by general managers participating in the annual NHL GM meetings in Naples, Florida.
“All of their recommendations are a joke!” Laraque charged after reading the NHL’s plans on TSN.ca....
It’s that proposed penalty - a 10-minute misconduct - which really angers Laraque.
“Stupidest thing ever!” Laraque told TSN. “I think it’s a joke. They might as well take fighting out of the NHL...fighting won’t be safer; it will be eliminated because an added 10 minute misconduct is too much.”
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Is Laraque Considering Retirement if Traded?
by Alanah McGinley on 02/26/09 at 03:18 PM ET
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From David Singer at HockeyFights.com:
Yesterday there was a lot of talk about Georges Laraque expecting to be traded from the Canadiens. Laraque was asked if he was frustrated about not playing the last couple of games for the Canadiens. He said he was and there were reports that he said he wouldn’t have signed with Montreal last summer if he knew he wasn’t going to be a regular in the lineup.
He confirmed with us that he did not ask for a trade, and added that he won’t.
I asked Laraque hypothetically where he’d want to go if he was traded. His reply was “nowhere, I would retire.”
Knowing Big George’s love for the game, I have my doubts about that, but I do think it shows his frustration, not just with his lack of playing, but with the media attention what he says is a misinterpretation of what he said.
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Laraque Expecting Trade
by Paul on 02/25/09 at 02:12 PM ET
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from Sean Gordon of the Globe and Mail,
Slightly used hard man for sale, still feared, no reasonable offers refused. Inquiries should be directed to B. Gainey, Bell Centre, Montreal, Que.
Yup, Georges Laraque says he’s on the trading block, assuming the Canadiens can find a taker for the $3-million remaining on the three-year contract he penned in the off-season.
“I haven’t asked for a trade, but with my salary and the way they’re using me, I’m definitely expecting it. The coach has told me he doesn’t like tough guys, he said I’ll be in and out (of the lineup) until the end of the season,” a dejected Laraque said after practice today.
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Why The Blogging Stopped
by Paul on 01/13/09 at 12:15 PM ET
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from Ryan Corazza of ESPN The Magazine,
Montreal Canadians tough guy Georges LaRaque had been penning an insightful, well-written blog this season for Sportsnet in Canada. Like most athlete blogs, it was rarely updated, but when he did write LaRaque’s work was top-notch.
Perhaps it was too good.
At the beginning of his latest entry, LaRaque said it would be his final one, citing a Canadiens team rule to be fair to all media entities that ask for their players to blog. Say no to one, say no to all....
But was there more to it? Had this been an issue of censorship? His latest entry touched on the code of fighting in the league and racism he’s been on the receiving end of—his entries have been anything but vanilla. Or was this just a move to transport LaRaque scribing to the Canadiens’ site, a move to have the team disseminate the media to the fans, instead of another outlet?
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Survival
by Paul on 01/05/09 at 02:55 PM ET
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from Georges Laraque at Sportsnet,
I want first to offer my condolences to Don Sanderson’s family. Don is the 21-year-old man who passed away on Friday after hitting his head on the ice in a hockey fight on Dec. 14....
So this incident brings the first subject that I wanted to talk about and that’s simply that fighting is not just the toughest job in hockey, but in all professional sports. Fighting is not easy, not easy physically nor mentally. During a fight, you pretty much fight for your life because as you know, many things can happen and on top of that, you are being watched by millions of people. And whether or not someone watches your game live, your fight will end up on YouTube forever.
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Laraque the “Toughest in the League”
by Alanah McGinley on 10/02/08 at 05:44 PM ET
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From the Canadian Press,
Several NHLers consider Laraque the league’s top heavyweight and make sure to give the six-foot-three, 245-pounder ample space.
“He’s probably the toughest in the league,” says Ottawa Senators enforcer Chris Neil. “He’s strong, he’s powerful. It’s one of those things where you watch his fights, meanwhile, when he’s out there on the ice, he’s coming after you, so you’ve got to be aware.”
Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla, no stranger to the rough stuff, agrees.
“I wouldn’t want to get caught in a line brawl with him,” he says with a smile.
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Tags: fighting, georges+laraque,
Morning Line
by Paul on 09/07/08 at 08:03 AM ET
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“I admire Zack because he’s an agitator and he fights ... it’s not easy doing both. But he knows he’s not a true heavyweight. He’s trying to fill a role and he does a good job at it. Man, he had 25 fights last year. Even in my rookie year as an Oiler, I never did that. I fought 16, 17 times, tops. People should admire Zack for doing what he’s doing. If everybody had his heart. ...
-Georges Laraque on Edmonton’s Zack Stortini. More from Laraque from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.
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Laraque Takes Mom’s Advice
by Paul on 08/20/08 at 07:28 AM ET
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from Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun,
“It’s still surreal. I live here in Edmonton and I haven’t lived in Montreal in a long time and I haven’t really gone back there in the summer.
“I think it’s going to hit home when I get there, when training camp starts and I get to wear the jersey for the first time. I don’t think it’s totally sunk in yet."…
“My dad lives in Edmonton, my mom lives in Montreal. My mom was begging me to come back home.
“I love it here, if it wasn’t for the fact that my mom was there, I would have stayed here.”
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Pittsburgh Won’t Forget Laraque
by Paul on 07/10/08 at 06:41 AM ET
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from Empty Netters,
Laraque was unlike anything we’ve seen here in Pittsburgh. He was a black hockey player of Haitian heritage who had corn rows, spoke two languages and dominated just about any fight he was a part of. He was so dominant of a fighter, many opposing goons just simply weren’t all that eager to drop the gloves with “BGL.” And when Laraque did get a chance to go at it, more often than not his fights were fairly boring due to Laraque’s immense strength.
Our first chance to see Laraque ply his craft came in a game against the Rangers March 10, 2007. Colton Orr was the brave soul who decided he wanted to test Laraque:
more with many fight videos…
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Habs Sign Georges Laraque, 3 Years
by Alanah McGinley on 07/03/08 at 03:44 PM ET
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From TSN’s tracker:
Montreal Canadiens sign UFA forward Georges Laraque (3-year, $1.5 million)
3:50pm ET: TSN --
The native of Montreal, Quebec has signed a three-year contract with the Canadiens, reportedly worth $4.5 million. The deal includes a partial no-trade clause.
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Laraque Says No To Nashville
by Paul on 07/03/08 at 08:52 AM ET
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from John Glennon of the Tennessean,
Predators General Manager David Poile said on Wednesday the team made an offer to Georges Laraque, but that the player’s agent, Steve Kotlowitz, told Nashville that Laraque was looking to sign elsewhere....
Some of the tough guys still on the unrestricted free agent market include Atlanta’s Eric Boulton, Tampa Bay’s Andre Roy as well as Aaron Downey and Darren McCarty of Detroit.
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Laraque is Running the Show—Off the Record
by Alanah McGinley on 06/23/08 at 04:21 PM ET
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From Channel Canada:
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Georges Laraque drops the gloves and calls the shots when he slides into the main chair as guest host of Off The Record (OTR), tonight at 6 p.m. ET on TSN.
Not one to back down from a good fight – or a good debate – Laraque will ask the hard-hitting questions to the show’s guests, which include Penguins teammate Gary Roberts, who will be featured in-studio during the Up Front and Next Question segments of the show. [...]
The other guests on tonight’s show will include Detroit Red Wings Senior Vice-President Jim Devellano. Together, Laraque and the guest panelists will take on the key newsmakers and hottest sports topics of the day, including NHL free agency.
In nearly 2,600 episodes, Laraque is the first NHLer to ever host the show.
This is appearing on Canada’s OTR only, not the ESPN version. But it should be available in the online video archives at TSN after the show, for anyone (Pens fans!?) who may be interested.
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Tags: gary+roberts, georges+laraque, jimmy+devellano,
Laraque’s Purpose in Life
by Alanah McGinley on 05/30/08 at 12:57 PM ET
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From Daniel Malloy at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
Away from the ice, though, the ferocity disappears, replaced by an aggressive philanthropic spirit.
Mr. Laraque doesn’t turn down a request for his time—“There are no bad charities,” he says—and spends about four days a week during the season working in the community, mostly with children.
“A lot of athletes will talk about doing good things, a lot of them do good things, but Georges takes that to an entirely different level,” said Cliff Benson, who has collaborated with Mr. Laraque on various charitable initiatives around town.
“He makes that a purpose in his life. That makes him different from most.”
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Morning Line
by Paul on 05/22/08 at 06:55 AM ET
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“At the end of the day, what really defines you?” he said. “Is it how much money you make? How many Cups you’ve won? No, what matters is your community. There are people out there without parents. People who can’t afford to go to a hockey game. People who can’t afford cable to even watch a hockey game.
“I wasn’t always fortunate when I was a kid. But, with the image we have as hockey players, it’s amazing the impact we can have. How fortunate am I to play in the NHL? What percentage of people get to do that? I just want to show that I appreciate it. That stuff is important, more important than hockey.”
-Georges Laraque
more on Laraque at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette…
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Laraque Is A Wanted Man
by Paul on 05/01/08 at 10:56 PM ET
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from Lynda Klym at Black Athelete,
Georges Laraque had just checked into a hotel in Calgary. Hadn’t even unzipped his bag when a secretary of a friend called his cellphone. Everybody gets Georges’ cell number.
“She asked me if I could come to Edmonton,” he said. “There was this kid who was going to die. He had a couple hours to live, they thought, and his last wish was to see me.”
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Laraque Gets Three Games
by Paul on 03/13/08 at 07:03 PM ET
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via TSN,
Georges Laraque has been suspended 3 games for his elbow on Buffalo’s Nathan Paetsch.
More to follow.
added 7:07, from TSN (same link as above),
The incident occured during the second period of Wednesday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins’ and the Sabres. Laraque appeared to deliver an elbow to Paetsch’s face as he skated past the Buffalo defencemen. Laraque was given a five-minute major for elbowing and was ejected from the game.
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Yoga Makes the Fighter
by Alanah McGinley on 02/21/08 at 01:51 PM ET
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From Marcie Garcia at NHL.com,
Four years later, Laraque credits yoga for sharpening his competitive edge against the younger, bigger foes trying to make a heavyweight name for themselves in the NHL.
“Most guys that fight use the weights, weights, and weights, and they’re so big in their bodies that the muscle doesn’t matter,” Laraque said. “Yoga helps your core strength and that is way better than weights. I’m not the strongest guy weight-wise with enforcers in the NHL, but I’m strong, but not because I bench press six plates. If you do yoga, you don’t need to do weights that much because it’s like a weight exercise, but instead of using weights, you’re using your body.”
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Tags: fighting, georges+laraque, training, yogo,
No Suspension For Laraque
by Paul on 01/30/08 at 09:08 AM ET
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from the Courier Post,
As a player, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren made a living out of checking opponents into the third row.
So he chose his words carefully Tuesday when asked about Colin Campbell’s decision to let Georges Laraque’s hit from behind on Steve Downie last week go unpunished.
“The fact that Steve was able to come back, does that mean there shouldn’t be a suspension?” Holmgren asked rhetorically. “I’m sure there’s something to that.”
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Laraque Hit On Downie
by Paul on 01/25/08 at 07:48 AM ET
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via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
The only thing on which the Penguins and Flyers could agree was that Laraque was assessed a major penalty for hitting from behind and a game misconduct. Get past that, and everything became a matter of partisan perspective.
When Flyers coach John Stevens looked at the sequence, for example, he saw “a vicious incident” and “a very, very dangerous play.”
When Laraque reflected on it, he saw an incident in which he pushed Downie, not cross-checked him, and did so with absolutely no malice, let alone intent to injure.
“If I want to hit somebody from behind,” Laraque said, “he’s not going to get up.”
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Tags: Georges+Laraque, Steve+Downie,
