Georges Laraque - Haiti Observer Blog

Georges Laraque, a Haitian-American and former Canadian professional ice hockey player, was born December 7, 1976 in Montréal, Quebec. He joined the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 1996 as a Forward. His team, the Granby Prédateurs, won the 1996 Memorial Cup.

Before joining the NHL, Laraque skated sporadically for three seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs team, under the AHL banner. While skating for the NHL, in 2003, he won the Best Fighter award, given by The Hockey News, and was also recognized as the 2008 top enforcer by Sports Illustrated.

Georges Laraque, in 2006, was being considered as a free agent by the Edmonton Oilers. He tried to negotiate a contract, in which he would accept a cut in pay, if in exchange, the Oilers would include a no-trade clause, and sign him on as a long-term player. The Oilers refused to do so. Laraque went on to play for the Phoenix Coyotes that same year and then was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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