Montreal Sports - Montreal Canadiens

Former enforcer for the Montreal Canadiens, Georges Laraque has updated his blog to comment on his release from the NHL club, his thoughts on playing again for another team, and of course, encourages more support for Haiti. We have already seen several Montreal Canadiens have stepped up in dropping the gloves since his release, perhaps as a way to send a message to the rest of the league that the Habs will not be pushovers without BGL. We at The Franchise with Georges Laraque all the best, and hope his transformation into a better human being continues to develop.

Here is what he posted:

Hello everyone,

I was told on January 21, 2010, that it was my last day as a Montreal Canadien. That morning, I met our GM Bob Gainey and he informed me that the team was letting me go. This obviously came as a shock to me as I never saw it coming. Everywhere I've played, I've always been well-liked by my teammates and always tried to be a positive person so you can understand how this was shocking for me and many of my teammates. At this point, I'm very disappointed but I respect their position…

I want to thank the Montreal Canadiens for giving a chance to wear their jersey. It was a real honour to wear it as I am sure it is the dream of every child who is born in Montreal. I want to thank all my teammates for their support - we have a very close team with great spirit and I will miss them. I also want to thank all the fans - since day one, I always felt your support behind me, in every game, even sometimes when it was only for couple shifts, I felt your support and your cheers every time I stepped on the ice. I wish I was still there for you. Thanks for the thousands of emails of support since day one. I'm sorry I can’t answer you all but you should know that from the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate your support. I also want to thank the media - in my mind, without you guys, the excitement of playing hockey in this market wouldn't be the same. I will probably join a media crew someday. To the people that can't stand me, I have a word for you guys as well… you can judge me as much as you want as a player or an athlete, but always remember that my job doesn't define me as a human being off the ice,and that, my friends, is much more important. Make your judgment based on what I have done off the ice…  To the community, all the children I have visited in schools and hospitals, you will see me again, even though I'm not a Canadien anymore. I will always be there for the community when I'm needed. With the great support all of you guys are giving to the team, I deeply hope the Canadiens make the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup - you deserve it all!

As for me, I know it is not the end and I will be back, better than ever. I'm only 33 years old and still have many good years in me. I look around the league, and see some of the guys that do the same job as me, and no disrespect to anyone at all, but I know that I can do the job as well or better than some of these guys. I look forward to being back and showing everyone that I can still be an impact player in the NHL.

I also can't complain or feel down about anything that happened. I just look at what's happening to my people in Haiti and that brings things back in perspective. Those people have reason to be down, but they are a proud and courageous nation. They have inspired me as well as the rest of the world. Please, realize how lucky we are here in our everyday lives! So since I have some time now, I will take advantage of it to heal up my body, work out harder than ever and stay in game shape… I will be 100% ready for my next opportunity, wherever and whenever it is. I will also use this time to help raise funds for Haiti. They say in life, everything happens for a reason… I will take it as a blessing that I have some time for this cause. It's so important to all of us to be generous so we can help rebuild this beautiful nation. God is watching us and will reward any of you that will open up your heart for the people in Haiti. Be careful also where you donate your money - make sure you donate to a trustworthy institution so the money doesn't end up in wrong hands. Some groups just charge way too much in administration fees and after those are paid, there's nothing left for the Haitian population. I find it somewhat odd that we have collected millions for Haiti and people are still today dying for lack of food and water, and with all this money raised, there's still enough to rebuild much of the country... For me, with the NHLPA, we are working in a great project with World Vision to raise funds for a hospital in Haiti, and that is something you can totally trust. If you're interested, please go check it out at www.worldvision.ca/hockey.

Thanks so much for your attention,

God bless you all,

Georges Laraque

"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13

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