Joanne Ireland, Edmonton Journal
Friday, September 21, 2001

When times are tough, and times will be tough without a 90-point man in the lineup, the tough do, indeed, get going.

That much was evident in the Edmonton Oilers' exhibition game Wednesday against the Calgary Flames.

"Guys had to pay the price to play the game," said Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish.

Expect more of the same in the coming days because starting tonight, the Oil and the Vancouver Canucks will play each other three straight exhibition games, a series sure to ignite some tempers.

"I would think both organizations look at this stretch of three games in three nights against the same opposition as maybe a good thing in terms of being able to evaluate players playing under difficult circumstances in a gritty game," MacTavish said.

"Our players had to rise to the physical challenge presented to us by Calgary and we did it.

"That's why Jason Smith is so valuable. That's why Ethan Moreau is so valuable. Why Sean Brown is so valuable and Georges Laraque. Those guys really got nasty when they had to.

"I was impressed by the way we answered the bell and we're going to have to see more of that through the next three games against Vancouver."

Smith played his usual steadfast game on defence. Whether it's a pre-season game in September or a playoff game in April, the veteran plays tough and hard.

Brown threw punches with agitators Ronald Petrovicky and Denis Gauthier, and after Moreau, another tough reliable customer, pasted Petrovicky into the boards, the Flames winger left the game with a bruised right shoulder.

Then there was Laraque, the enforcer itching to take on a more offensive role.

He played 22 shifts in Calgary, a workload that kept him on the ice for just over 18 minutes. 

During that span, he took 14 shots on net, dished out two hits, scored an even-strength goal, added a power-play assist and imposed havoc just by his presence. 

There were Flames dead set on skating through Laraque who just bounced off the big guy.

Others just steered clear when he was in their path, even if that meant losing the puck in the process.

He is 257 pounds of immovable mass, an asset that the coaches want to put to more use this season.

"I didn't hit all training camp and you do want to get into that habit," Laraque said Thursday. 

"Skating's one thing, but when you add hitting, it's always harder. You want your body to get used to it.

"And I feel good. I feel better this year than last year. Way better. I skated a lot this summer."

If Laraque sounds like a man lobbying for more attention to be paid to his offensive game, that's because he is.

He was on the power play against the Flames and if things go his way, he'll spend some time with the unit in the regular season.

"If I'm using my body in front of the net, I know I'm going to get more power-play opportunities," he said. "I learned last year to use more of my size."

In the second half of last season, the coaching staff finally impressed upon Laraque that he was more effective to the team if he was standing in and around the crease rather than trying to dipsy-doodle around the net.

With his size, he is an ideal human screen. With his mass, he makes it tough on goaltenders to see and defencemen trying to move him out of the way.

"I came into training camp wanting to get more ice time. I want to play more than 10 minutes and I know it's up to me," he said.

"If I play 15 minutes a game, I could have 40, 50 points."

Laraque contributed 29 points last season and averaged nine minutes a game.

"To have a guy who has that much skill and be as tough as he is ... that's a pretty valuable commodity on any hockey team," said MacTavish.

Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal 
Sunday, October 28, 2001

Georges Laraque can't stand the way Donald Brashear fights, all hugging and mugging for the camera. 

"He comes so close, grabbing all the the time, I feel like kissing him,'' said Laraque.

There were no major Laraque -Brashear encounters Saturday during the Edmonton-Vancouver game, but Georges did offer to dance several times in the second period.

Laraque claims Brashear is a grand-stander, dusting his hands to celebrate fight wins. 

"He looks like a clown when he does that,'' said Laraque. 

Not that Brashear much cares if Laraque and several other NHL heavyweights have washed their hands of him because of his taunting.

Brashear's antics aren't much different from Tie Domi, who used to throw his chest out, feint like he was punching a speed bag, and then make like he'd just won the championship belt in his early fighting days. 

"Yeah, but Tie plays in Toronto,'' said Brashear, a healthy dig at Don Cherry being a Leafs fan, even though he told Domi to quit showing off years ago.

Brashear knows Cherry took a rip at him on Coach's Corner for showboating after beating Wade Belak, seconds after the Leaf player's head crashed to the ice a week ago in Vancouver. 

"My mom always said if they talk about you, it's a good thing ... and when they're not it's bad,'' said the Canucks winger, who admittedly was trying to show off against Belak. 

"He'd been mouthing off at me from the bench, all night. That was my way of getting even. I'm out there to get the crowd going, the team going. 

"Sometimes you don't please everybody.''

Laraque thinks Brashear is thumbing his nose at the fighter's code of ethics, although there's no firm penalty from the NHL against taunting. 

"Fighting's part of the game but the show that goes with it isn't. This isn't boxing; it's a hockey game where sometimes a fight breaks out,'' said Laraque. 

He figures fighters should be counted, and if they win, don't make the other guy look bad.

"From a fighter's viewpoint, there's nothing we dislike more than what he (Brashear) does,'' said Laraque. 

"Tough guys are all supposed to respect each other. We all know how hard the job is, and only one guy is showing disprespect for what we do.

"What do you think the tough guy on the ground is feeling when he sees what Brashear did with his hands? 

"The guy has lost the fight and the winner dusts his hands? 

"If it had been me, I might have hit him with a stick, doing what he did, but Belak was knocked out. 

"... Donald has done it (dusting hands) before with other guys he's fought, and you'd have thought he learned his lesson.''

"The thing is, he keeps turning guys down when they want to fight. ...

"He'll fight smaller guys, but not the bigger ones.''

Brashear doesn't buy that. 

"A lot of tough guys have mouthed that I'm scared because I won't drop my gloves, but when I do and I get the best of them, it's getting back at them. 

"It started with Domi, always mouthing at me. He was putting on a show when we'd go to Toronto. 

"It's all about payback and the same thing happened with Belak. He was mouthing me. 

"I wouldn't do it (hand dusting) against Bob Probert or Sandy McCarthy or Stu Grimson, and, yeah, Georges.''

While Laraque has been regarded as one of the NHL's toughest players, he also is one of the more appreciative people in the league. Thankful for the fan support he has received, Laraque brings his laptop computer with him on road trips to answer E-mails from his fans. During the first week of October, Laraque participated in Read-In Week with other Oilers by going to local schools and reading to children in French. Laraque, a native of Montreal, understands the positive influence an athlete can have on children and has no problem taking on the responsiblities that go hand-in-hand with being a role model. 

Laraque learned to skate at the age of five. He grew up idolizing Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. At 18 years old, Laraque was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers, and was the 31st player selected overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. During the first few years of his career, Laraque was either skating for the Oilers or their AHL affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs, a team he led to the Memorial Cup Championship in 1996. 

Laraque's first full season with the Oilers came in 1999-2000. At the end of the season, he felt the appreciation of Oilers fans when they elected him the year's most popular player. As a pro, Laraque continues to improve his numbers on the ice and contribute to the lives of children off it. 

Q&A: 

What is your happiest NHL memory? 
NHL draft in 95 and my hat-trick against L.A.! 

What aspect of being in the NHL gives you the greatest pleasure? 
Visiting kids and their family as well as answering fan mail. 

What is the greatest compliment a fan could pay you? 
Telling me that I'm a good example for kids. 

What is your most memorable fan encounter? 
A guy name Brett Klawitter made a terrific web site on me that demandad a lot of hours of work. When I discovered it, I then e-mailed him to let him know how much I appreciated it, we have become friends since then. 

If you went to an NHL game as a spectator, which player would you most want to see on the ice? 
Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux! 

As a player, which opposing player would you NOT want to see on the ice?! 
Tyson Nash. 

What advice would you give to kids stepping onto the ice with a hockey stick for the first time? 
Have fun, enjoy yourself. 

Describe a perfect day off. 
Wake up late, watch a movie later, have dinner, nothing fancy. 

If you could play any role in the remake of any film, what role would it be? 
I have no idea, maybe Clubber Lang in Rocky 3. 

If you could have one superpower what would it be? 
To fly! 
 

Besides your uniform and equipment, what are you sure to bring on every road trip? 
My laptop. 

Using only one word, describe your feeling about the game of hockey. 
Fantastic! 

Thanks, Georges! 
You're welcome. 

Wednesday, December 12, 2001
By ROBIN BROWNLEE -- Edmonton Sun

 SAN JOSE -- Edmonton Oilers tough guy Georges Laraque has a soft spot for San Jose assistant coach Lorne Molleken, who was head coach with the Hamilton Bulldogs when Laraque was a raw rookie pro back in 1996-97. 

 Laraque and Molleken, who is in his first season with the Sharks, have some funny stories, some of them repeatable, to tell from their dog days together with Edmonton's AHL farm team. 

 "He was an unbelievable coach for me," said Laraque, who got a lot of chances to play and develop under Molleken rather than just being treated as the designated enforcer. "It's crucial when you're starting out in the minors. 

 "You can be a one-dimensional player or two. You have to start with a good coach. If you don't have a good coach right from the beginning, I'd be a two-minute-per-game player, a role player." 

 Laraque, Dennis (The Menace) Bonvie and Sean Brown worked the beat for Molleken with a Hamilton team that was loaded with toughness and took a run at a Calder Cup. 

 Even back then, Laraque, who likes fast cars, had a reputation for driving with a heavy foot. Goaltender Steve Passmore, scared witless on one ride from the rink with Laraque, pulled one of the best pranks of all time, aided by Molleken. 

 Passmore convinced a couple of pals on Hamilton's police force to show up at a practice with a warrant for Laraque because, as the gag went, he supposedly hadn't paid a bunch of speeding tickets and had ignored a notice to appear in court. The cops, with a local television crew in tow, had Laraque convinced they were about to slap the cuffs on him and take him to jail. 

 "He didn't know what to make of it," laughed Molleken, who spent three seasons at the helm in Hamilton before joining the Chicago Blackhawks. "These guys were playing it serious. He looked worried as hell." 

 Passmore's cohorts told Laraque to take off his skates but leave his equipment on for the ride downtown, but before leading him away, they told him a way he could avoid the crowbar hotel. 

 "Everybody was worried," Laraque said. "I was panicking. They said, 'There's one thing you can do for us to let you go.' I thought, `I'll do anything.' They said, `You have to do the hokey-pokey.' They were serious. 

 "I said, 'What is that?' It's where you dance on one leg and stuff. I did this hokey-pokey and they started to laugh. The whole town knew. It was on the six-o'clock news. They got me good." 

 Laraque, of course, got his own licks in with Molleken, with the best comeback being a bit of, shall we say, physical comedy that involved the coach's dog. 

 Once, when Laraque came calling at Molleken's house, the dog had a fit, barking and growling and trying to get at Laraque, who had his face pressed up against the window. On a subsequent visit, Laraque was in the house when the dog tried to get at him again. This time, Laraque took the offensive. 

 "Georges kind of yelled and it (crapped) all over the place," said Molleken, laughing out loud. "He scared the (crap) out of it." 

 Don't worry, Fido, more than one NHL tough guy has done exactly the same thing when facing the Oilers's big dog. 

 TOUGH TRIP FOR CLEARY 

 A tough road trip for a hobbled Dan Cleary got even worse yesterday morning when he tore a chunk out of his right thumb in a folding chair before the morning skate. 

 Cleary, who'll be seeing Oilers chief of medical staff Dr. David Reid tomorrow about damaged cartilage in his left knee, a month-old injury that kept him out of last night's game and will likely require arthroscopic surgery in coming days, missed practice after he caught his thumb in the chair. 

 "Nice road trip," grimaced Cleary, who went to the Sharks medical room with Ken Lowe for repairs. "I better take the bus back to the hotel. I'm not even going to try to cross the street." 

 When the Oilers arrived in Dallas to begin the road trip, Cleary caught his right hand in the hinge of the bus door as he was leaving and ripped open his ring finger. 

 As for the knee, injured Nov. 6 in Boston, Cleary is facing three options. He can have arthroscopic surgery to repair a damaged meniscus, he can take a cortisone shot and delay the surgery, or he can take more treatments and try to keep playing through the pain. 

 SMITH IMPROVING 

 An MRI on Jason Smith's aching back has come back negative and the Oilers captain is feeling much better than when he left the team in Nashville and returned to Edmonton Sunday. 

 The source of Smith's back spasms is not related to a problem involving discs or bone, so the malady is being treated as a soft-tissue problem. 

 Smith is listed as out day-to-day.

By JIM MATHESON
Edmonton Journal
Ho, ho, ho, and a heave-ho.

By the numbers with Georges Laraque: 39, 25, five, 48. 

Four shifts, 117 seconds, two roughing penalties, one major for boarding on Calgary defenceman Denis Gauthier and one game banishment for what the refs Kevin Maguire, an old fighter himself, and Brad Meier thought was conduct unbecoming the Oilers slugger.

This was supposed to Laraque's day, Boxing Day, but he never got a chance to drop his gloves. 

He was gone before the game was 10 minutes old. 

He played all of 1:57. Has he ever played less in the NHL?

"It's about the same icetime I used to get when Ronnie Low was the coach here,'' laughed Laraque.

Laraque came to work in ill-humour, but a couple of his roughing penalties (one on Rob Niedermayer, the other on Bob Boughner) were pretty tame affairs. 

"Everybody was high (crowd) and I thought I'd play aggressively. I was just trying to get the guys going ... We'd been on the road a long time,'' said Laraque.

He didn't think he deserved the gamer after the hit on Gauthier, even though it's pretty much spelled out that hits from behind into the boards are usually five and a game. 

"I let up on him, I just pushed him. I'm 260 pounds. If I hit him hard, from behind, he would be dead ... but I braked,'' said Laraque. "He got right up and got into the scrum, so it wasn't that bad.''

"I thought it was debatable,'' said Oiler general manager Kevin Lowe. 

"I didn't think it was five, I thought it deserved two (minutes) ... Of course, he's our player.''

Gauthier, who has 105 hits on the season, which means $3,150 for his charity, the Special Olympics, is tough. 

But he was stunned on the play. 

"Georges is an honest player. Everybody respects him. I don't think he meant to injure me,'' said Gauthier. 

"I got myself into a vulnerable position ...(back to Laraque) Some of it was my fault. 

"I've had herniated discs in my neck and this was a little scary (getting pitched into the boards). It was nice to see the refs break down (and call the major). Even though I wasn't seriously injured, the potential was there.''

In the old days of the Battle of Alberta, Laraque wouldn't have been called for the roughing penalties, but in the kindler, gentler NHL of today, he got whistled twice. 

After the hit on Gauthier, Scott Nichol, who looks like he could be double-dribbled by Laraque, scuffled with the Oilers tough guy and had his helmet knocked off. 

"The ref was yelling at me, 'Don't hit him, don't hit him, you'll get more,' '' said Laraque.

Laraque spent the rest of the game watching on TV in the Oilers room, watching as Eric Brewer beat Roman Turek with a slapper that bounced off a Flames' player's stick late in the third. 

"When things are going tough, the hockey gods are frowning on you,'' said Flames coach Greg Gilbert, who nevertheless thought the Oilers deserved the win. 

"We created problems for ourselves.'' 

They were up 2-0, had all the penalty calls early but couldn't put the Oilers away.

ON THE BENCH: Flames defenceman Toni Lydman stayed at home with the flu. He would have seen lots of time on the point because Derek Morris is out with a bad wrist that'll need arthroscopic surgery today.

By JOANNE IRELAND
The Edmonton Journal

NASTIER IS BEST, SAYS LARAQUE'S COACH

Georges Laraque was at his surly best against the Flames and MacTavish made it clear the next day that the more assertive the big winger plays, the better.

"I loved his game," said MacTavish. "He's an electrifying player when he plays with that emotion and at that emotional level. He can dominate games and that's the way we want him to play. We want him to play physically. We want him to be aggressive. We want him to skate and he was doing all that last night."

Laraque, on the ice for four shifts, was nailed with two roughing penalties, a checking major and a game misconduct. He was tossed for hitting Denis Gauthier from behind.

"I know it's good to play like that but I'm also aware of the penalties," Laraque said. "The hitting from behind? OK. But the other two weren't cheap shots. It wasn't a stick check. I didn't hit anybody in the face. I just pushed the guys. Anybody else does that and there's no penalty.

"Everybody said it was great, we won, they were scared, but what if they would have scored five goals during that five-minute penalty? I do try to be aggressive, I just don't want to put my team in trouble."

DON'T MESS WITH WILD BILL

Bill Hunter, on his feet and obviously on his toes, was out of the hospital and at the rink on Thursday. Walking with a cane, rather than travelling in a wheelchair, Hunter, who is battling cancer, made his way through the tunnel and out to the bench to watch Ryan Smyth skate. "It's unbelievable," he reported. "He looks like a million bucks out there."

Then Laraque rumbled off the ice and and Hunter stopped the heavyweight in his tracks.

"Hey, Georges, how are you doing? Now, no more penalties like that again, OK?"

MacTavish likes what he saw of Laraque
By ROBIN BROWNLEE -- Edmonton Sun

 Gentleman Georges finally let the bully in him come out to play against the Calgary Flames at Skyreach Centre Wednesday, and it was certainly something to see. 

 It was nine minutes into the first period of the latest chapter in the Battle of Alberta between the Flames and Edmonton Oilers when Georges Laraque, who'd already cuffed Rob Niedermayer and Bob Boughner, slammed Calgary defenceman Denis Gauthier kisser-first into the boards like a red-shirted crash-test dummy. 

 Caught in a swarm of inflamed Calgarians, led by Scott Nichol and Steve Begin - like they were going to do something about it - stood Laraque, looking bemused as ref Kevin Maguire shouted repeatedly: "Don't hit him, Georges, you'll get games. Don't hit him, Georges ..." 

 Luckily for Calgary's diminutive tag team, Laraque listened and headed for an early shower, rather than wreak more havoc, to unanimous approval from a capacity crowd. When Laraque exited, he had exactly four shifts, 1:57 of actual playing time and 19 penalty minutes on the scoresheet. 

 It's a side of the six-foot-three, 260-pound Laraque Oilers fans don't get to see often - a matter-of-fact lamented by his critics and welcomed by all but truly insane opponents. 

 A side Laraque remains uncomfortable with. 

 "It was an emotional game," said Laraque, who watched the final 50 minutes of the Oilers' 3-2 win after getting a major for boarding and a game misconduct for mashing Gauthier. "The reason I don't play like that, that I don't do it all the time, has nothing to do with fighting." 

 Laraque, 25, has been criticized more than once for not imposing his physical will often enough, for not busting chops and daring somebody to do something about it, like he did Wednesday. 

 IT HAS TO DO WITH PENALTIES 

 While the criticism has some merit, Laraque's reluctance to unleash the bully comes from a sense of fair play, and from the fear he'll put his team at a disadvantage. 

 "It has to do with penalties," Laraque said. "What if they had scored three goals on that five-minute power play? It's easy if we win. That's why I'm very careful about it. I don't want to put the team in a bad position." 

 It's a reluctance that's honourable, but one coach Craig MacTavish insists that Laraque need not worry himself about. 

 "He can dominate games," MacTavish said. "That's the way we want him to play. We want him to play physically. We want him to be aggressive. We want him to skate. He was doing all that." 

 MacTavish will take the minutes. 

 "We're willing to kill those aggressive penalties whenever we incur them," MacTavish said. "That's part of playing good, solid Oilers hockey. We want to be an aggressive, physical team. 

 "If you're going to be physical, you're going to incur some penalties. We'll kill those penalties. We just don't want the bad penalties, the hooking behind the play, the retaliation, stuff like that. We want to be a hard-nosed team, so we'll kill those penalties." 

 Laraque's hit on Gauthier, one that earned him a major for boarding and a game misconduct, was dangerous, although unintentional. With Laraque on him, Gauthier spun as he mishandled a puck and contributed to the hit from behind. He said so after the game. 

 "I loved his game," MacTavish said of Laraque. "It looked like he was going to control the game. He's an electrifying player when he plays with that emotion and at that emotional level. 

 "To anybody, from the fan who goes to one game a year to the GM to the coaching staff, it's very, very obvious when he's on his game and at that emotional level." 

 The Flames certainly didn't know what to do with Laraque running around and taking pokes at people. What could they do? 

 'IT'S LIKE THE X-FACTOR' 

 "If he's playing in a way where you're not sure what he's going to do, it's like the X-factor," said linemate Domenic Pittis. "He's so strong, and when he's snarly, he puts teams on their heels. 

 "When he gets going, he takes teams off their game. You can see it. There's not too many teams who have that someone who can change the complexion of a game in the same way as when he gets rumbling around. If you don't know where Georges is at all times when he's playing like that, you're going to be in trouble. That's a dimension he brings, a dynamic we need." 

 The question is, will it be Gentleman Georges or the bully boy who shows up when the puck drops against the Minnesota Wild tonight? There's no doubt whatsoever which version of No. 27 MacTavish would like to see. 

 "I'm not going to jump anybody. I didn't give any cheap shots (Wednesday)," Laraque said. "If you push our guy, you're going to get pushed back. I didn't use my stick. I didn't try to hurt anybody. Did I hurt Boughner because I pushed him? I always stick up for my guys." 

 That much we know, Georges, but the bully ... 

 "There's nothing I like to do more than fighting," said Laraque, who has nine majors for punching out the lights of opponents this season. "It's very exciting. I like it. 

 "I'm a big guy and I can take advantage of my size, and I try, but I can't be hitting guys from behind and stuff like that. I have to be careful about that."

He's no 20-20 man
By ROBIN BROWNLEE -- Edmonton Sun

 CHICAGO -- When the season began, Georges Laraque, as he is prone to do, was thinking out loud and predicting this would be the season he'd become a 20-20 man. 

 As advertised, the Edmonton Oilers tough guy went 20 games without scoring a goal before he bulged the twine in a 2-2 saw-off with the Colorado Avalanche Saturday, and there's every possibility he could go another 20 games without making the goal judge flinch again, starting tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. 

 While that's not exactly the "20-20" Laraque had in mind, you won't hear coach Craig MacTavish complaining. No matter what the numbers suggest, Laraque is playing some of the finest and most consistent hockey of his career right now. 

 TALKING ABOUT IT 

 "He's always talking about it, but so far it's just talk," smiled MacTavish of Laraque's pending run at the NHL scoring title. "He's played very well. He's been one of our more dependable and reliable guys the last little while." 

 In a stretch of games that's tempted MacTavish to yank tufts of hair from his cranium because of inconsistent performances by the Oilers, the 25-year-old Laraque has been delivering the kind of even efforts that might help save the coach's scalp. 

 "He (MacTavish) is giving me lots of opportunities and more ice time," said Laraque. "I love that. My confidence is high and our line is getting better all the time. More ice time means more confidence and that makes things better for all of us."

 After tallying 13-16-29 last season with just nine minutes of playing time a night, Laraque thought he had a crack at 20-20. He was willing to bet on it. With just 5-7-12 going into tonight's game with the Blackhawks, that isn't going to happen. 

 "I always have a better second half," winked Laraque, who's playing with Shawn Horcoff and Josh Green. "I think I can finish close to what I had last year. That's still good for a tough guy. 

 "The important thing is to be reliable defensively, to not ever hurt the team that way when I'm out there." 

 Laraque, Horcoff and Green have provided a lot of quality shifts in limited playing time since being put together a few games ago. 

 The truth is, Laraque had been a model of consistency right up until he rumbled in alone on Patrick Roy and jumped for joy when the rubber eluded him for a 2-0 lead. He's earned some power-play time and more shifts here and there. 

 "I want to start using him four-on-four a little bit more," said MacTavish. "Get a little bit more room for him so they can't over-man him as much as they like to. 

 STRONG ON THE PUCK 

 "He's a big force. They have to reckon with him in front of the net on the power play and that opens up some other areas. He's strong on the puck. He doesn't get pushed off." 

 Even in the 20 games Laraque didn't score, he was even or better in plus-minus statistics 15 times. And, for those wondering if he's softened in his fistic duties after declaring 20-20 possible, not a chance. Laraque, who punched Aaron Downey silly the last time the Oilers were in Chicago, already has 13 fighting majors - he had 16 all of last season. 

 "That part will never change," Laraque said. "It's not even a question with me. Adding to my game, getting better, doesn't mean I take that part away. I'm not getting, you know, (fancy)."

Jim Matheson, Journal Hockey Writer 
Edmonton Journal 

Wednesday, January 30, 2002

If Georges Laraque takes Detroit assistant coach Dave Lewis's quick sketch to heart, that "he reminds me of a big John Tonelli the way he controls the corners,'' and he doesn't let it go to his head, the Oiler winger may be a large factor tonight against the Canucks.

"Georges is the most dominant big man in the league. We couldn't handle him,'' said Lewis, after Detroit's 1-1 tie with the Oilers on Monday. 

Laraque was not only a handful for Steve Duchesne and Jiri Fischer but also for Chris Chelios and Nick Lidstrom, two defencemen who have won four Norris Trophies between them.

"That's a nice thing for Dave Lewis to say about me. I'm going to take that and build on it,'' said Laraque, who definitely has to learn to hit more but is clearly getting better around the net. 

He has his head up and is making plays. He has learned how to cycle, instead of ragging it for 25 seconds until he's tired.

Inside of every slugger is a man yearning to be a player, of course. Laraque has looked like he's made strides before, but his play against the best team in the league spoke volumes. 

Now, if Laraque only knew who Tonelli was.

"When did he play?'' he asked.

During the New York Islanders' glory teams and on the 1984 Canada Cup team. 

Laraque still has some homework to do, but Lewis's comment warmed his heart.

He may even be getting a little more respect from the officials, who have tended to look the other way when checkers are jumping on his back. 

But he drew two penalties against Detroit and couldn't believe his eyes.

"I get so frustrated when guys do whatever they want to me,'' said Laraque. 

"They say to me, 'Georges, you're a big guy, so we have to give the other guys a chance to stop you.' If it's flagrant, they'll call it. 

"But how many times do you see guys put their arms right around me? 

"They say I'm six-foot-three and 260 pounds, so guys have to stop me somehow.

"I guess I could draw penalties by diving, but I hate that. 

"I don't want to dive on the ice like Tyson Nash. 

"They're jumping on me like I'm a dogsled.'' 

It will be interesting to see how things play out tonight for Laraque against the Canucks.

His right wrist still has some tendinitis and might bother him the rest of the season, but he ripped some dandy shots at Detroit goalie Dominik Hasek on Monday.

He will likely keep his fists holstered tonight, playing with linemates Josh Green and Shawn Horcoff. 

With Donald Brashear gone and rookie Mike Brown and Jason Strudwick healthy scratches, the Canucks are beating teams up without dropping their gloves. 

"A big game like this one, there should be enough emotion out there without starting a fight,'' said Laraque.

By ROBIN BROWNLEE -- Edmonton Sun Jan 31, 2002

VANCOUVER -- Edmonton Oilers tough guy Georges Laraque showed the kind of stuff he's made of yesterday when he took the time to telephone Nashville's Stu Grimson to wish him well. 

Grimson, 36, one of the NHL's most respected and longest-serving enforcers, hasn't played a game since a fight with Laraque at the Gaylord Entertainment Center Dec. 8 during a 2-2 tie between the Oilers and Predators. Grimson, once dubbed the Grim Reaper, sustained a concussion and it appears his career is in doubt. 

"I respect him," said Laraque. "We talked about our jobs. I told him I felt bad about what happened. He said, 'Don't feel bad, it's the job.' I told him I wished it didn't happen. 

"For years, he's been an example of perseverence and determination. It was good to talk to him. He's a nice guy." 

Grimson overcame an infamous beating from Dave Brown of the Oilers early in his career - a scrap in which he sustained a badly broken cheekbone while playing with the Calgary Flames - and has played in 729 NHL games. But unless he improves, it doesn't look good for the big slugger from Kamloops. 

"He's older, and his family is more important to him now than taking the risk," said Laraque. "The doctors told him about the risks if he gets another one (concussion). 

"He's thinking about how much time he has left to play and, family-wise, if it's worth it to risk another one to come back and play. 

"He's already had such a good career." 

Grimson, who signed a two-year deal with Nashville before this season, has traded leather with Laraque more than any other NHL opponent, but their scrap in the first period Dec. 8 was no contest. Sadly, the effects have lingered.

Jim Matheson 
Edmonton Journal

Monday, February 04, 2002

Hockey's biggest winger spent his all-star break flying to Lethbridge on a private three-seater plane Saturday to counsel a couple of black WHL players -- Jeremy Jackson and Canucks draft pick Nathan Barrett -- on being the best they can be.

Georges Laraque, who had a hard-scrabble early life in the little town of Tracy, Que. -- where fans and players routinely cursed him and yelled racial insults when he was only in elementary school -- has many lessons to impart on the flashy Jackson and Barrett, the WHL's leading scorer. He conquered the vicious taunts as a youngster when it would have been easy to quit. Now he's the toughest player in the NHL, but he's got a soft heart. 

He flew to Lethbridge and walked to the rink with kids chasing him, wondering what he was doing in their town on a Saturday night, all the while having fun, being a bit of a preacher man to Jackson and Barrett, who may feel like they're beating their heads against the wall, trying to get the NHL to stand up and take notice.

After talking to them for an hour after the game, the Oilers winger gave the kids his phone number. Told them to call, any time. They may be on hold for a while, however. Nobody talks on his cellphone more than Laraque, but his intentions are good. He also gave them his e-mail address, pictures and Oilers jerseys.

"I want black kids to know how hard it is to get to the NHL ... it's still a slow process, and the way they can find out what it's like is to talk to people like me," said Laraque. "I hope I'm a role model for them.''

Jackson has major talent but has had problems off the ice. He went through several billets in Vancouver when he started the year with the expansion Giants and didn't show for the team picture. He went to Michigan State briefly after a dazzling Junior A career, left school and tried the WHL. He has 27 goals and is one of the league's best players but, again, he obviously needs some guidance.

Barrett was a Canucks' draft in 2000, but they don't seem to want to sign him, feeling he's a little one-dimensional; he conceivably will go back into the draft this June, even though he can really handle the puck.

"Jeremy's had a tough time adjusting to Lethbridge. He's got a hip-hop style ... he reminds me of Allen Iverson. The way he talks, the way he acts. I started calling him Iverson of the juniors. He loved that,'' said Laraque. "He's into rap music, he's got his own album ... he's unbelievable. But Jeremy said, 'Georges, they don't like my music, I've got to listen to rock and I don't like it.' I told him in hockey, there's concessions you have to make to be part of a group. I mean, I like rap, too, but I can listen to it at home. I don't walk into our dressing room like I'm the only one there.'

"I told Jeremy, nobody can tell you how to dress and you shouldn't have to change because that's you and that's your personality ... in basketball and football, nobody says anything about that, but in hockey there's not many minorities in the game. It's tough to be different.''

Barrett was the Canucks' sixth choice in the 2000 draft. He's always put up good numbers in junior but he's a centre, where the Canucks are very deep.

"Vancouver drafted him but they don't seem to want to sign him. I just told him to keep working. He'll go back into the draft, if they don't sign him, and somebody else will give him a chance. He's got good size, he's the leading scorer in the whole league. They both were great in the game I saw,'' said Laraque.

"I told both of them it's very tough being a black player and, especially, a skill player in the NHL. How many are there? Most of us are fighters ... myself, Sandy McCarthy, (Donald) Brashear, (Peter) Worrell,'' said Laraque.

Laraque has likely faced much worse discrimination than Jackson or Barrett. 

"It gets better every year with more and more minorities playing the game,'' said Laraque. "But I can remember what it was like for me when I was very young. I lived outside Montreal, where we were the only black family. We looked like another species for people in that town.

"When I was a kid in Tracy, the kids on the other team would be banging their sticks on the boards, yelling 'nigger' when I'd skate by. This was when I was five years old, until I was 10. I'd come home crying. 

"I mean, as a kid you're supposed to enjoy your life, not have to go through that. My parents thought I was crazy, me wanting to keep going to the rink. 

"It wasn't just the players, either. People in the stands were so bad, too. My parents stopped going to the games. They wouldn't drive me. I rode my bike to games and practices.''

Laraque moved to Montreal when he was 14. More cosmopolitan, fewer ugly incidents. And when there were?

"I got bigger. I could fight anybody on the ice,'' he said.

Now he's trying to show Jackson and Barrett the way.

By ROBIN BROWNLEE -- Edmonton Sun
Thursday, February 28, 2002

The sight of Georges Laraque's equipment hanging in the dressing room while the Edmonton Oilers skated yesterday morning was enough to send reporters looking for a reason why. 

 And, when coach Craig MacTavish declined comment as to his whereabouts and captain Jason Smith said he didn't know why Laraque wasn't on the ice - a pre-game skate in preparation for last night's game with the Nashville Predators wasn't optional - the speculation began. 

 What was up? 

 It turns out what's up is Laraque's weight - he was told to take the morning off when he weighed in at 256.5 pounds, exceeding a 255-pound weight limit that MacTavish has established for the big right winger. 

 In Laraque's case, size matters. 

 "That's the limit and I was over," said Laraque who was in the lineup against the Predators last night. "Even if it's only a pound or so, it's what we agreed on. That's the point." 

 When Laraque first broke in with the Oilers, coaches Ron Low and Teddy Green set a limit of 240 pounds for the six-foot-three tough guy, a limit that was a pretty tough standard. Laraque spent countless hours running the stairs at the rink back then. 

 Having seen Laraque play at as much as 262 in playoffs last season, MacTavish set what he considered a reasonable limit earlier this week. Laraque could be 255, but not a pound more. 

 Laraque made weight Tuesday and Wednesday, weighing in after his usual routine of riding an exercise bike, but he passed on the bike yesterday and got right on the scales. 

 "I could have lost that weight on the bike easy, but it's the principle," Laraque said. "I had been playing at 260, and I came down to right at the limit in the last while, but I was over." 

Jim Matheson, Journal Hockey Writer 
Edmonton Journal 

Friday, March 01, 2002

Craig MacTavish doesn't plan on introducing Georges Laraque to JennyCraig but he wants the NHL's super heavyweight to be 255. 

And not with gusts to 260.

That's why Laraque didn't skate Thursday morning prior to playing the Nashville Predators. 

He was told this week by the Oilers coach he couldn't make the scales groan any longer. 

Other guys had other responsibilities with the playoff push in full swing. One of MacTavish's demands was a slimmer Laraque. 

He showed up at the rink Thursday at 257.4 pounds. 

Close, but it's like being told the school bell rings at 8:45 a.m. 

Getting to class at 8:47 is close, and not a big crime. 

But it's still late.

MacTavish tried to pound some sense into Laraque before practice on Thursday. 

No 255, no play. 

"I didn't want to ride the bike before skating, not on the day of a game,'' said Laraque, "so he said go home, don't practise, and ride it there. 

"I agreed. He told me to come back before the game at 255."I do weigh that ... and no, I didn't have to wear a garbage bag.''

Boxers sometimes wear them while pedalling to sweat off the pounds.

"Georges and Mac have to iron this thing out but Georges can't play in this league at 260,'' said Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe, who knows Laraque has a tough time saying no to sweets, or any food. 

"I gain 20 pounds just looking at a steak. My metabolism is bad,'' said Laraque, who can be up to 280 within weeks of the season ending. 

He's hovered around 260 pounds all season but MacTavish thinks he's carrying too much weight. 

He's not about to have him running stairs like ex-Oiler coach Ted Green did, but MacTavish is getting tougher. 

"He wants to make sure everybody is on the same page (in the playoff drive) and I fully understand that. 

"I'm following his authority,'' Laraque said.

While most minority players in the NHL say they experienced a relatively low level of racist opposition to their participation in hockey at some point in their careers, Georges Laraque, the big right wing of the Edmonton Oilers, was treated so badly in minor hockey that his family moved to Montreal so he'd be among more people who looked like him. 
First, you wonder why anyone would treat someone that way. Next, you wonder why they would choose Laraque. He was always built like someone who would top out at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, and while he is very handsome and genuinely pleasant, he has a scowl that can make grown men quiver. 

Laraque internalized the rude treatment and channeled it into a fierce commitment to be the best player he could be. That self-discipline, learned early on, serves him well today as he continues to develop into one of the most rugged right wings in the NHL. 

"I went through so much racism until we moved when I was 14,” Laraque said. “My parents wouldn't go to my games because there was so much racism in the stands and they didn't want to fight with everyone. They didn't think it was a good environment for me to play." 

Laraque simply refused to let bigots drive him away. 

"I loved hockey so much. I couldn't quit even though the kids would say the N-word and tell me this wasn't my sport so I couldn't play. It wasn't right so I used it as motivation," he said. "I kept playing to show them they were wrong. In my mind, if I had quit, that would have proved they were right. 

"It got so bad my Dad moved us into Montreal where there were more ethnic people," he continued. "Everything started to develop for me and I got drafted in juniors.” 

As he grew, Laraque realized the value of his size and strength. 

"As a kid I went through a lot but when I got to Montreal, especially when I got to be 15 or 16 and I could handle myself, things got a lot better. I've always been bigger than everyone else. I was always the biggest guy on my team," Laraque said. "My sister is 5-11 and very good in sports, especially in track and field. My brother played hockey. He just retired at age 20. He's only 5-6 and played a rough style like me but he's too small to play that style. In his last year of junior, he studied to be a police officer and now he's a policeman in Halifax." 

Laraque turned a lot of heads and changed a lot of opinions with his play in the opening round of last season's Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars. 

Edmonton's second choice, 31st overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Laraque was coming off a season in which he scored a career-high 13 goals and added 16 assists in 82 games. He finished plus-5 and his 148 penalty minutes led the Oilers. He scored his first playoff goal in Game 2 on April 14 and followed up with another in his next game. 

Laraque ranked sixth among Oilers in playoff scoring but it was his banging away at opponents in the corners and along the boards that brought him newfound respect. He plays the game honest and fair but very tough, the way hockey should be played. 

Laraque was genuinely pleased to hear that from a group of NHL people with whom he met recently. He said he worked hard in recent years to improve every aspect of his game. 

"When I got drafted, I was a one-dimensional player and I didn't really like that," he said. "I wanted to be a hockey player so I had to work hard on my skating to become a two-dimensional player. I didn't just want to fight. I wanted to play hockey. I knew I had to improve my skating if I wanted to be the kind of player who would be used in the playoffs. 

"The playoffs are the best part of hockey and in my mind if you can't play in the playoffs, you're not a hockey player," Laraque continued. "So I worked hard on my skating and the last couple of years my time on ice has been increasing." 

Laraque said the downside to his size is that he must work harder than others to stay in shape. He also has to use workouts that don't make his legs feel heavy or overly muscular. He needs light, "dancing feet" on the ice to compete with smaller, quicker players. 

"I did a lot power-skating work every summer. I'm such a big guy, I have to keep doing that all the time and I don't take any time off in the summer," he said. "Two weeks after the season is over, I'm back on the ice, just so I don't lose any sharpness. I play for fun at a little rink near my house in Montreal. 

In the playoffs last year, I was determined to show people that I could be a big-time player, someone who could be effective in the playoffs." 

Laraque has learned the difference between being a good regular-season player and a reliable playoff performer. He wants to be both. 

"You can score 100 points in the regular season but if you don't have a good playoffs, people notice that," Laraque said. "Once you're in the playoffs, that's the time you have to show it. You have to be at your best if you want people to respect you. I look at a guy like Claude Lemieux who has a reputation as a big-time playoffs player and that's the kind of player I want to be. I want to show my team that when it counts, I'm there and they can use me at any moment. 

"The most important thing in hockey is to win the Stanley Cup and that's when you need the best effort from everyone," he said.

Jim Matheson, Journal Hockey Writer 
Edmonton Journal 

Wednesday, March 27, 2002

It wasn't exactly poetry in motion, Jody Shelley taking a few lefts from Georges Laraque and then winding up on top of the Oiler slugger.

Nobody will be writing any sonnets after the 15-second fight, three minutes into the Oilers-Blue Jackets game Tuesday. 

But it was a turning point, of sorts. 

Shelley, who lives here in the summer, held his own, the Blue Jackets put some bite into their game after being down 2-0 on four Oiler shots and the crowd at Skyreach got the hat trick: two quick goals and a fight.

The scrap happened one second after a faceoff at centre. 

"The ref (Mick McGeough) came over and said, 'You guys going?' " said Laraque. "The hard part was making it part of the action. If you fight before the puck's dropped, you get thrown out of the game." 

Laraque gave Shelley the thumbs-up when he asked if he wanted to inject some life into the Blue Jackets.

"MacT (coach Craig MacTavish) didn't want me to fight because we were up 2-0 and he was worried I might break my hand with us in a playoff race, but I wanted to do it anyway. I haven't had a fight in a long time. He's a tough kid. He hangs in. He doesn't bail out." 

Tough KID? Laraque is 25; Shelley is 26.

"Not a brilliant move by me putting Georges out there, not the right time," said MacTavish. "But Georges wants to be part of it. He wants to take on all comers, and when you're the fastest gun in the West, you're going to have to do it."

Later in the game, Laraque was a handful for the Blue Jackets around the net, swatting checkers away, but the fight was an integral part of the game. 

"I'm surprised he fought me because he didn't really need to," said Shelley. "He's one of the big boys in the league and he's got a lot of respect. It was fun to do it here where I've got a lot of friends and family. They're always talking about big Georges. I had 25 to 30 family members and 25 to 30 friends here, and I was trying to score a goal."

Shelley has 181 penalty minutes and three goals this season. 

"We came out flat and either a big shift or a big hit or a fight was needed to show they weren't going to roll over us all night," said Shelley. "Their crowd was into it and we needed to put a stop to it." 

Jim Matheson, Journal Hockey Writer 
Edmonton Journal, Thursday, April 04, 2002

Georges Laraque has never had soft hands. He uses his mitts for dirty work, and he's much admired for telling players like Dallas Stars blue-liner Derian Hatcher there may be a price to pay for tattooing Ryan Smyth or Mike Comrie with a big hit.

But maybe you've noticed: Big Georges hasn't scored a goal in months. As much as he has to work on his weight every day, he also has to work at shooting more.

"Seems like 100 years since I scored," he said on Wednesday. It's actually closer to 100 days (81), but you get the picture. It's 28 games and counting. 

Laraque had 13 goals last season, up from eight the previous year, and thought he might get close to 20 this year. He currently has five, one of which came against the Ducks at the Pond in Anaheim, and another here against the Los Angeles Kings -- the two teams on deck for the Oilers. It's something he might want to keep in mind.

But Laraque scored his last goal on Jan. 12. It came against Colorado Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy, at Skyreach; no mean feat.

"Yeah, but I was going high with the shot and it wound up between his legs," said Laraque, whose aim was a bit off.

At this time of year, admittedly it's all about the team and getting into the playoffs. But the Oilers could use a Laraque goal, even if Oilers coach Craig MacTavish isn't the least bit concerned by a drought that's seen Laraque get only one goal since Nov. 28.

"Georges' role isn't that of a goal scorer; it's becoming a physical factor when he's only playing six or seven or eight minutes a game," said MacTavish. "He's deserved way more than that, but sometimes we're protecting a lead late in a game so I've got defensive players out there."

True. Laraque is out there to give other forwards, like Comrie, breathing space. But Laraque keeps track of numbers. "Maybe if I start scoring, they'll start calling me The Golden George ... you know, like The Golden Brett," he said in jest.

Laraque should be shooting pails of pucks after every practice at whatever goalie will stay out with him -- every day. By his own admission, Laraque has forgotten when to shoot -- despite having one of the best wrist shots on the team. He has 88 shots in 75 games. In 12 of the 28 games since Jan. 12 in which he did not score, he didn't have any shots on goal.

"Goalies shoot more than me," he says. "(Ex-Flyers netminder) Ron Hextall got two goals one year, almost as many as me. Me, I have five.''

Actually, Hextall scored one goal in '87 and one in '89. But most of Laraque's shots are prayers from five feet these days as he tries to muscle his way to the net. He gets the puck on his forehand, charging down the ice, gets to the slot, and often winds up on his backhand. He holds off people along the boards and plows to the net. He knows he's not in prime scoring position anymore.

"I just won't shoot. Most of the time I'm just trying to wrap it around the net," said Laraque. "I've always passed the puck. Every time I get into a good shooting spot, I still pass. What I have to start doing on 2-on-1s or 3-on-1s in practice, is just shoot. Don't pass. Look at a guy like Jochen Hecht, he shoots all the time. Once you do that in practice it becomes natural in a game."

MacTavish, however, isn't worried about Laraque's lack of offence.

"If you look at his last four games, not including the one (Tuesday) night, I think he's played his best hockey of the year," he said. "He's been a factor physically. He had a huge game in Vancouver where he had to get to (Ed) Jovanovski and he did. He took a run at Jovanovski, got him off his game. The same was true the other night when Dallas was in here. He targeted Hatcher. That's something we've been emphasizing with Georges for quite some time.

"Georges does have to get the puck to the net, but I don't see him passing up all kinds of opportunities. I guess at times he'll hang on to the puck longer than he should, but he's been a big factor for us."

But it's painful watching Laraque sometimes. Defencemen give him room to shoot on his forehand, but he won't.

"Maybe I should be trying those Synergy (one-piece sticks) that everybody else is using. I hear what (Todd) Bertuzzi says about those sticks, how they've turned his game around. My stick is whippy. Maybe it's psychological, but maybe I should change sticks."

He should also work at shooting more -- after practice.

"I do it sometimes," he said.

By JOANNE IRELAND
Edmonton Journal
Forget the law of averages. Georges Laraque has. 

By his calculations, having had 33 shots on goal in the last 31 games, he should have at least one goal. 

But he doesn't, so forget that.

In fact the Edmonton Oilers winger is so bummed out about his offensive output, he is convinced there are only two ways to end this exasperating, never-ending goal-scoring slump.

The first is to score what is known as the lucky goal, also known as the slump-breaker.

In that scenario, Laraque doesn't fake out the goaltender or tip in a rebound, the puck just bounces in off his leg or a skate or even his butt.

The other alternative is to replace the opponent's goal with a soccer net.

"I'm going to have to get a lucky goal. I can't score," he said. "It's psychological right now."

This inability to finish has never been so irritating to Laraque as it was Wednesday against the Phoenix Coyotes. 

The next day, he was still talking about the ones that got away, those few golden opportunities in which it was just him and goaltender Sean Burke.

"Every golden chance I had I was swearing. I was going crazy because I couldn't score," he said. 

"It just seemed that after a point, I wasn't going to score. Mike (Comrie) is going to have to teach me a few moves."

Laraque isn't really beating himself up over this, which is just as well because there aren't that many heavyweights better in the game, but his confidence has officially abandoned him.

"When you haven't scored for 30 games, that's what happens. You have no confidence. 

"It feels like it will never go in. I think I need the (soccer) net to be able to score a goal. I have to figure something out."

His head coach isn't nearly as worried.

"The difference in Georges' game right now is that he's a factor physically every night," said Craig MacTavish. 

"He's getting to the forecheck and he's taking the body. And when he's skating, he's a force to be reckoned with. He's just on the cusp of really contributing more offensively. 

"He had a number of opportunities, and if he can continue to improve, he's going to make a huge impact on our team and our success."

John short, Journal Sports Columnist 
Edmonton Journal - Tuesday, July 23, 2002

It's probably a good thing Edmonton Oilers president Patrick Laforge was flogging lottery tickets in aid of the Rotary Club on Monday afternoon.

Otherwise, he might have been watching enforcer Georges Laraque try his skills as an automobile racer in competition with world-class speedsters Alex Tagliani and Patrick Carpentier on a go-cart track at West Edmonton Mall. 

After the seasoned Indy-car chauffeurs allowed their new friend to set the pace for a handful of laps, they closed in from behind.

To stay ahead, the Oilers forward was required to speed a little beyond his comfort zone.

Almost immediately, Laraque spun into a protective barrier. 

No damage was done, but the impact was substantial -- more than enough to convince Laforge, general manager Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish they should have a serious conversation at training camp, and perhaps before.

"I love fast cars," Laraque later grinned. 

"I was lucky that they came here and invited me to race with them.

"I learned quite a few things. The fastest lap I had was when I followed Alex and Patrick for a while. 

"They picked a perfect line and it was obvious from the beginning that they were quicker than I could be."

For Tagliani and Carpentier, the 15-minute session at a top speed of about 55 km/h was pure fun. 

"It's rare for us to be able to relax and do this," Carpentier said. 

"At home (in Las Vegas), when I'm driving a go-cart, the speed can be more like 150 or 160."

At such times, of course, he is in serious training. The same holds true for Tagliani.

Both treated their Edmonton visit as relaxation before the Vancouver Indy this weekend. 

"We'll spend part of a day in Calgary, too," Tagliani said, "but we have no plan to be involved with racing against a celebrity.

"The schedule here was not busy.

"We just know there are a lot of racing fans in Western Canada and the only time we get to the West is when we race in Vancouver.

"It's important to let the rest of the country know how much we're grateful for their interest and their support."

Tagliani believes top quality auto racing eventually will spread beyond Vancouver, Toronto and Edmonton but -- like most others -- he cannot predict whether CART or the Indy Racing League will ultimately prevail. 

"I don't believe the two groups will ever get together," he said. "The arguments are too big."

Laraque's involvement in the afternoon session developed because he and Louis Payette, a business representative of Tagliani and Carpentier, met in Montreal last week. 

"I knew he was a big racing fan, and he said he would like to get us going here.

"It's a great deal for us because we got Oilers jerseys, and a good deal for Georges because he got a real mini-racing helmet."

Some good-natured needling was done, of course.

Carpentier pointed out that he weighs about 150 pounds and Tagliani perhaps 135 -- barely more in total than the 280 or so that Laraque has carried at certain times in his career. 

"Together, we aren't any bigger, but we're a little faster in the car."

Tagliani suggested Laraque would be a much better hockey player if he wore the uniform of the Montreal Canadiens.

Asked to describe the popular Oiler's driving talents, he responded quickly and with a terrific grin: "Georges is too tall, too heavy, too slow, but otherwise pretty good."