Filed under: Edmonton Oilers | Tags: edmonton, Edmonton Oilers, george laraque, habs, mactavish, montreal canadiens, nhl, oilers
The rumor yesterday was that Georges Laraque was in contract talks with the Edmonton Oilers, and would likely be returning to the city he still calls home. I have to admit that the prospect of the toughest enforcer in the NHL coming back to our city had me excited. After watching our star players get beat to hell since big Georges left the Oil, I was quite happy to see his return.
And then, seemingly from out of nowhere, he signed with Montreal. What the *&#%?
Ok, I think you have to look at this logically. First of all, Craig MacTavish is still coaching in Edmonton. Craig MacTavish who seems to be able to take the physical aspect of any players game and crush it out like a cigarette. If you don’t believe me, see Matt Greene, Raffi Torres, Chris Pronger, Mike Peca, JF Jacques etc. So if you are a one trick pony like big Georges, there is your first barrier.
Then there is the fact that MacT was really the reason Georges left Edmonton in the first place, playing him sparingly, and leaving him a healthy scratch in many contests.
So when Mr. Gainey came along and offered Georgy Boy 1.5 million per season, who can blame him for jumping. He moves back to his native Quebec, and gets to play for the team he probably dreamed of playing for as a child.
The question now is, does Georges move his family, who he relocated to Edmonton from Quebec, back to Quebec, or does he continue to be a valued member of our community in Edmonton? Time will tell.
Good luck Georges! You will always have a place in the hearts of Edmontonians whether it be for your fighting skills on the ice, or your tireless, selfless, humanitarian efforts off the ice. You will always be a champion here!
