rafikz Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) (Also available in French) Very cool stuff; me like it; you can even watch BGL sing http://www.georgeslaraque.com/default.asp?mn=1.39.2 Edited April 26, 2009 by rafikz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLP Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Aw, what a nice guy . . .. . and here we were, paying him to be an in-your-face badass enforcer! What were we thinking? We should pay him to distribute kittens to kids. We got a roster spot for that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KEEP26 Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 (Also available in French) Very cool stuff; me like it; you can even watch BGL sing http://www.georgeslaraque.com/default.asp?mn=1.39.2 SINGING........maybe he should drop the gloves and earn his pay check........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanpuck33 Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I've been trying for months to understand the Laraque bashing. My last guess is that people wanted him to literally assault people and put them in the hospital. I guess they wanted Todd Bertuzzi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazy26 Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I've been trying for months to understand the Laraque bashing. My last guess is that people wanted him to literally assault people and put them in the hospital. I guess they wanted Todd Bertuzzi. It's simple really. Laraque's role was to beat on/intimidate the other teams so they wouldn't even dare look at the Habs without fear of retribution. Laraque's special skills would then rub off on his teammates and every game would have the Habs physically punishing their opponents as they run up the score. All would fear the mighty Canadiens, and teams would eventually just send out their minor league team for fodder against the Habs' Centennial fists of fury. I'm sure this was all explained to him by Gainey when he signed on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikz Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 I've been trying for months to understand the Laraque bashing. My last guess is that people wanted him to literally assault people and put them in the hospital. I guess they wanted Todd Bertuzzi. We don't want to promote violence, or send an opponent to the hospital We just want him to protect his teammates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyohabs Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) Trying to understand the bashing and suggesting a comparaison between Bertuzzi is not really in the same realm. George won't fight, no matter how anyone tries to spin it. If there is a guy who is running smaller players or being chippy, like Lucic is every game with us, you don't stand there talking to him, waiting for him to take you up on the invite. Watch how 99% of fights start, there is no verbal negotiation, at a faceoff just drop the gloves and hit, or moments later (just watched Talbot getting beaten by Circillo). If he turtles and you pick up the 5 minutes, so be it. Most enforcers seem to understand this. I honestly don't think Laraque was brought in to shadow players with his skating ability; or play the 1st line with his offensive awareness; or even take a more-than-regular shift. He had no problems fighting last year with the Pens. People want other teams to show us a modicum of respect physically, it happens when there is a guy prowling around who will destroy you. Flyers didn't respect us one bit last playoffs; the trend had started before that; and it was brutally obvious in most games this year. So while the bashing goes overboard, ask: what exactly was he brought here for? Edited April 26, 2009 by tokyohabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
han_dyl Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) He had no problems fighting last year with the Pens. He played 71 games for the pens last year and fought 13 times. for an average of a fight every 5.4 games. He was injured for most of this year and still had 9 fights in 33 games for an average of a fight every 3.6 games. The most fights he ever had in one year was 18 and he played 82 games (4.5 games/fight) This year was one of his most active fighting years on average of his career. Edited April 26, 2009 by han_dyl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanpuck33 Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 So bascially you want him to take instigators, misconducts, and put the team shorthanded for long periods of time. People bitch and moan about him not jumping guys after hits, that's not his fault. Unless he's physically the closest person to the incident, someone else is going to jump in first. Half the time people complain about him and he's not even on the ice. For years people have wanted a tough guy, but not one who takes stupid penalties and is solely a thug. When we finally get someone like that, people complain about him not being a thug. So much of the bashing of Laraque centers on him not jumping Lucic. Lucic beat Komisarek fair and square in that fight, there was nothing to retaliate for. He deserved a beating for when he tackled Komi the last game of the season, but Laraque wasn't even playing. Seriously, look at Laraque's fight history. The fact he goes up against other heavyweights was no secret. If you thought we were getting some magical player who would intimidate everyone into submission and beat on anyone who gives our team a dirty look, you were fooling yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLP Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 He played 71 games for the pens last year and fought 13 times. for an average of a fight every 5.4 games. He was injured for most of this year and still had 9 fights in 33 games for an average of a fight every 3.6 games. The most fights he ever had in one year was 18 and he played 82 games (4.5 games/fight) This year was one of his most active fighting years on average of his career. I see your point Han, but this year GL's number of fights ranked him (tied for) 36th in the league. Not so impressive, really. For the record I would take fighting out of hockey, I think it's stupid. But as long as there is fighting in hockey, and we are going to have a fighter, gmme a badass with a screw loose (think Lapierre's attitude and Laraque's fists). The whole "Gentleman Goon" experiment failed IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanpuck33 Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I see your point Han, but this year GL's number of fights ranked him (tied for) 36th in the league. Not so impressive, really. Playing less than half the year will do that to your league rating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLP Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Playing less than half the year will do that to your league rating. Stortini led the league with scarcely 50 games. I think Laraque might have got more games and more fights if he'd been less 'good cop' and more 'bad cop'. Anyway, what are those eyes ( ) supposed to mean? You use them a lot. Are they 'smartass' eyes ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanpuck33 Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Stortini led the league with scarcely 50 games. I think Laraque might have got more games and more fights if he'd been less 'good cop' and more 'bad cop'. Stortini also only won 5 of those 25 fights, so who cares how much he fought? Anyway, what are those eyes ( ) supposed to mean? You use them a lot. Are they 'smartass' eyes ? You don't know what rolling eyes look like? I mean, look at the text you type to get the pic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLP Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Stortini also only won 5 of those 25 fights, so who cares how much he fought? You don't know what rolling eyes look like? I mean, look at the text you type to get the pic... So that 'lil smiley you use so much is meant to be rolling eyes, as from exasperation? Sorry, hockey maven, must be tough being one of the few fans satisfied with what Laraque brought to the Habs. Which is...? Cos I don't know that this role ("nice guy, available for fisticuffs, should the opposition be interested") has a name yet. It certainly isn't "goon" or "grinder" or "enforcer". How would you characterize Laraque exactly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KEEP26 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 its not how many times you fight or even if you you win them...its about when you fight in a game... you fight when your team is being ran all over the ice....like my dad always said only a dumb wait for the other guy to throw the first punch, its a fight, you not playing paddy cake, take that f**ker head before he takes yours..i dont care what anyone says bgl should of punch out chara...chara punch our guys in the face ever game and i pretty sure his in the class of heavy weight.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyohabs Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Exactly Keep26. You fight when your team needs it. Too many times we saw a situation where we needed someone to stand up. Chara running around punching Komisarek in the face a few times with his f'n gloves on - you have to let him know that won't be tolerated without physical retaliation. Otherwise the tone is set, and players avoid these others with fear - at least ours do. Lucic, you can carry things over from other games. Not always on the ice, sure, but he had plenty of chances. Kostopolous at least is a willing, if poor fighter. Don't even start with Gorges and Bergeron, a disgrace. Guys knock our goalie around all year, late hits, scrums where we were outmanned...where was George? Though I stand corrected on his statistical number of fights, the question still remains: again, what was Laraque brought in to do? What was his role? If it wasn't to fight, why is he here? Poor skater, below-average hands, physical, poor shot, poor passer, skating problems severely limit his defensive ability...this is news to no-one. Anyway, maybe a new coach will light a fire under him. I'm sure even he was unimpressed with his own season. And after all is said and done, who knows, maybe the coaches went along with his idiotic gentleman's code, maybe he was told not to fight too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I think the Habs haven't had a real heavyweight in so long once they got BGL some fans were so excited they wanted him to pummel every guy every chance he got. That being said, what that has to do with him launching a website? I think it's cool that a player expresses himself like that. We already have too many shy introverted bland players as it is, Big Georges is a breeze of fresh air. Be grateful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyohabs Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 The fighting stuff came up from other quarters. Website is nice, great for the kids, dreads looking natty. Well done on that front Georges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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