LEAVE GEORGES ALONE
It’s tough being an NHL player, we all know that.
The business is cutthroat, and where one day you can be the toast of the town, the next day you can be out on your ass in a matter of half an ineffective season.
Georges Laraque found that out the hard way today, as the Canadiens, clearly tired of his being of Haitian descent and not the fact that he’s a tough guy that doesn’t fight or hit anyone any more, sent him home for the remainder of the season with an eye toward being bought out once the Habs are able to do so.
Wait.. what? That Haitian thing seems out of place. Well, I mean, not if you’re Laraque. The money quote (emphasis obviously mine):
“Classless,” Laraque said angrily. “To do this in the midst of all I’m dealing with in Haiti, the timing is awful. I’m not going to sugar coat anything.”
Yes, all he’s dealing with.
Look, I don’t begrudge Laraque his money, good for him for allowing the Habs to be stupid enough to give him three years at $1.5 million per with a freaking no movement clause that ensured he could not be waived or traded — not that anyone would want a player that doesn’t score (1-2-3 in 28 games), doesn’t play defense particularly well (21 hits, five blocked shots, minus-3 turnover differential) and doesn’t fight (just four, while league leader Zenon Konopka has 19) for that kind of money.
I guess being told you’ll be paid not to do your job that, in the grand scheme of things, is really pretty good, sucks. And I guess anyone would take it hard. But really, Georges? Haiti?
Being paid to sit at home the remainder of that salary for this season while people starve and die in the streets. I know, it probably is a difficult time for Laraque, whose family is from Haiti and, for all I know, he’s still got relatives down there too. So perhaps it is indeed a difficult time for him personally, but to bring it up in such a way that it frames the Canadiens organization as being insensitive to the peoples’ plights down there is abhorrent.
What if I had said during the 2001 season, “Remember, the Thrashers started the year at 1-3-1-3. Probably because of Sept. 11.”
We all get upset and say things we don’t mean, I guess, but no one on the Saints blamed Hurricane Katrina for their 3-13 season because I dunno, doing things like that make you come off like a selfish, out-of-touch, oblivious maniac.
Late edit!: According to Bob Gainey, the club actually deferred the decision a week because of the crisis in Haiti and offered Laraque a leave of absence, which he apparently refused. Now he’s just a complete douchebag.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:18 pm
He said he was sorry for his comments. Laraque actually seems like one of the coolest guys in hockey. He has a personality and gets attacked for it. He is also a gentle giant! As a Habs fan, I’m gonna miss him.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:16 pm
I loved Georges when he was an Oiler. Then again, he was a scrapper back then and not the (cough) finesse player he has transformed into. All jokes aside, perhaps he should take his payout and use this as an opportunity to go help his fellows in Haiti. Put his money where his mouth is, if you will.
January 22nd, 2010 at 2:53 am
I have to disagree with some of the comments above. Larocque had a roll. we don’t expect him to score and under a coach who hates enforcers he is not supposed to fight either. He is a presence on the ice. Cam Jannson, Derek Boogard, George Parros All share this place, and so does George. It’s that second thought in the back of your mind before you hit a star player or go “head hunting” (hated term). Who else on Montreal is going to settle the score. Every real hockey guy knows that the game is policed by more then just the referees and every team needs that player to turn to. that is why they brought in George. Have you seen other teams take liberties running Gomez, Plekanec or Camellari? I can’t say I’m a Habs fan or a Larocgue fan for that matter, but I like seeing the star players putting the puck in the net, star goalies making outstanding saves and not in the press box injured.
January 24th, 2010 at 1:31 am
thanks for this post. i, too, was wondering what the heck haiti had to do with any of this. apparently he received the call while he was on his way to practice and that it was really classless of the habs to do so; maybe that’s true. maybe bob gainey poses some questionable gestures and signs some weird contracts (namely, laraque’s). but to imply like you said that the habs are insensitive to the situation in haiti is blasphemous. in fact, the habs collected almost 60k from the fans and donated 100k toward the haiti relief efforts (the same amount that the NHL donated, by the by).
anyway — i’m glad someone got that off my chest. that sounded bad, but you know what i mean.