>As one of the [NHL](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nhl/)’s most feared enforcers, Georges Laraque felt like a kid in school waiting to fight a bully at the end of the week.
>Each day — Monday … Tuesday … Wednesday — the looming fight would consume him. He’d try to focus on something, anything else, but each task was just another tick in the countdown to the violence scheduled for the schoolyard after the Friday bell, where the entire school would circle around to watch you defend yourself against one of the biggest, meanest kids around. Every second tumbles toward that moment:
>“Everybody knows it’s going to happen. And you’re like, ‘Oh my God, it’s coming,’” Laraque says. “You fail all of your exams because you cannot write, you cannot think … you cannot sleep, you can’t have dinner, everyone is asking what’s wrong with you. Your face is changing color — ‘Oh my f—ing god, why did I agree to this? Why am I fighting? Can I bail out? What if I die? I’m going to die. What if I get a concussion?’
>“And then you’re sitting at school and looking at the clock. Every second, the clock is going too fast.”
>The fight itself is a blur — a minute, maybe two of pure survival-mode adrenaline. And then it’s done.
>“The pressure of all the week goes out. It’s over,” Laraque says. “But then, you’re doing the same thing the next Friday, and the next Friday, and the next Friday.”
taco3donkey
I’m sure the comments here will be lovely
ThatApplianceGuy966
Maybe he could take some skating lessons while he’s at it. He has the turning radius of a Semi
InsectAssassin
Bauer is one tough customer. Does he have the ability to play regularly in the NHL?
sovietmcdavid
Love Laraque! This is so cool
Itsagirlyslope
Laraque and I walked into each other at a flea market in Edmonton, felt like a brick wall.
NoMoreF34R
Georges style is perfect for what Rempe lacks and he’s also southpaw, need Brashear there to teach the hug and tug beat down
NoMoreF34R
I just really hope Georges doesen’t teach him about the code and he stops fighting.
Laraque-Lucic early 2010 memories. I was too young to understand, but I was so pissed Lucic wouldn’t go with him after his battles with Komisarek. Looking back it would make no sense for Lucic to drop the gloves against an aging NHL enforcer who is in debatably the top 5/3.
Just for fun,
1. Bob Probert 2. Georges Laraque 3. Tony Twist 4. Dave Brown 5. Donald Brashear
That’s my list and I don’t even agree with it. Good night.
23 Comments
[https://twitter.com/georgeslaraque/status/1810458344802677064?s=46&t=S_LiHKGoXi91Lmgu-MxoZA](https://twitter.com/georgeslaraque/status/1810458344802677064?s=46&t=S_LiHKGoXi91Lmgu-MxoZA)
Last year it was Homer Simpson who trained Matt Rempe to fight, just get punched in the face enough times until the opponent tires himself out.
I have a feeling he’ll go back out this year thinking he’s invincible again because of these lessons just to get clapped again.
Don’t want it but the line between confident and cocky is thin.
Laraque has a huge effin head
Dumb and dumber.
Good. He really need to defend himself better than he did last season.
Could’ve been worse, George Parros.
At least they got a good trainer. Hopefully they get some of his fantastic stories too!
Boy is bout to be a menace
Let’s fucking go man, kid’s putting in the work
The only thing this kid was worse at than hockey was fighting. Congrats on the human punching bag for taking some lessons. Next up, hockey lessons!
Teach him how to not be a dirty piece of shit and show the respect you showed, Georges.
Minnesota isn’t injuring us next year!
Can’t wait till bauer and rempe fight each other In an nhl game
Not an oiler fan but always loved those jerseys.
Laraque? The same guy that said this?
[https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4354541/2023/03/29/nhl-hockey-fighting-mental-toll/](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4354541/2023/03/29/nhl-hockey-fighting-mental-toll/)
>As one of the [NHL](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nhl/)’s most feared enforcers, Georges Laraque felt like a kid in school waiting to fight a bully at the end of the week.
>Each day — Monday … Tuesday … Wednesday — the looming fight would consume him. He’d try to focus on something, anything else, but each task was just another tick in the countdown to the violence scheduled for the schoolyard after the Friday bell, where the entire school would circle around to watch you defend yourself against one of the biggest, meanest kids around. Every second tumbles toward that moment:
>“Everybody knows it’s going to happen. And you’re like, ‘Oh my God, it’s coming,’” Laraque says. “You fail all of your exams because you cannot write, you cannot think … you cannot sleep, you can’t have dinner, everyone is asking what’s wrong with you. Your face is changing color — ‘Oh my f—ing god, why did I agree to this? Why am I fighting? Can I bail out? What if I die? I’m going to die. What if I get a concussion?’
>“And then you’re sitting at school and looking at the clock. Every second, the clock is going too fast.”
>The fight itself is a blur — a minute, maybe two of pure survival-mode adrenaline. And then it’s done.
>“The pressure of all the week goes out. It’s over,” Laraque says. “But then, you’re doing the same thing the next Friday, and the next Friday, and the next Friday.”
I’m sure the comments here will be lovely
Maybe he could take some skating lessons while he’s at it. He has the turning radius of a Semi
Bauer is one tough customer. Does he have the ability to play regularly in the NHL?
Love Laraque! This is so cool
Laraque and I walked into each other at a flea market in Edmonton, felt like a brick wall.
Georges style is perfect for what Rempe lacks and he’s also southpaw, need Brashear there to teach the hug and tug beat down
I just really hope Georges doesen’t teach him about the code and he stops fighting.
Laraque-Lucic early 2010 memories. I was too young to understand, but I was so pissed Lucic wouldn’t go with him after his battles with Komisarek. Looking back it would make no sense for Lucic to drop the gloves against an aging NHL enforcer who is in debatably the top 5/3.
Just for fun,
1. Bob Probert
2. Georges Laraque
3. Tony Twist
4. Dave Brown
5. Donald Brashear
That’s my list and I don’t even agree with it. Good night.