During his time in Pittsburgh, Georges Laraque was known as a scrappy fighter. Nowadays, he is dealing with perhaps the biggest fight of his lifetime.
In an Instagram post this past Friday, Laraque announced that he had been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and expressed concerns given that he has an underlying health condition in asthma.
Laraque proceeded to express confidence that he will be okay. In a post the next day, the 13-year NHL veteran thanked everyone for their wishes, while also indicating that he would remain in the hospital until his lungs cleared up.
Laraque, now 43, is a native of Montreal, Quebec. He was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the 1995 NHL Draft. In 695 career games, the right winger registered 53 goals and 100 assists, in addition to his lifetime 1,126 penalty minutes.
The French-Canadian forward played for the Oilers from 1997 until 2006. He spent the beginning of the 2006-2007 season with the Phoenix (now Arizona) Coyotes, where he tallied 22 points in 56 games.
Laraque was traded to Pittsburgh on February 27, 2007, in exchange for scrappy forward Daniel Carcillo. He played 17 games for the Penguins and added a needed veteran presence for a team that would go on to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2000-2001 season.
In 71 games during the 2007-2008 season, Laraque scored four goals and nine assists, while also putting up 141 penalty minutes in his final season with the Penguins.
Following that season, Laraque signed with his hometown Montreal Canadiens, where he would play the final two seasons (2008-2009, 2009-2010) of his career. Across two seasons in Montreal, Laraque played in 61 games. He scored one goal and four assists, while compiling a total of 89 penalty minutes.
Best wishes to Georges Laraque as he battles the coronavirus. Get well soon, Georges!
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