Former Montreal Canadiens enforcer Georges Laraque made his living by dropping the gloves and protecting his teammates. But those looking to carve out a similar hockey career path will now have a more difficult time — especially in Quebec
Last week, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) announced the prohibition of fighting on the ice, which will be enforced with strict punishments going forward.
While some were in favour of the efforts to reduce violence, others were not fans of removing what they deem to be a staple of hockey. Among those in the second camp is Laraque, who discussed the change to the rulebook on the most recent episode of The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro.
The Montreal-born tough guy predicts that the removal of fights will lead to fewer QMJHL players being drafted into the NHL.
“You know, there’s only eight players in the Q that were drafted this year. There’ll be less and less,” Laraque said to Marinaro. “You also know the reputation that the Q has now.”
Georges Laraque on the QMJHL banning fightingđź‘€
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The 46-year-old, who spent 13 seasons in the NHL, also foresees more young players opting for the NCAA route as a result of the ban.
“You’re gonna see more and more players going to play college because of this,” he added. “This rule is just hurting the league.”
Laraque, who regularly conducts fighting lessons with current Canadiens players, claimed he was asked about the Quebec league’s decision by multiple pro scouts over the past year. Given their alleged concerns with the ban, Laraque said he does not foresee other leagues following in the QMJHL’s footsteps.
“We think that [because] we’re the first ones to do this, everybody’s gonna follow us? They’re not gonna follow suit. They’re not doing it,” Laraque said. “There is a preconceived idea that they think that players coming out of the Q are soft now.”
According to hockeyfights.com, Laraque was involved in 131 fights throughout his NHL career. He retired in 2010 with 53 goals, 153 points, and 1,126 penalty minutes under his belt.
As for the QMJHL, there were only 82 fights leaguewide in the 2022-23 season, which is down from 188 fights in 2018-19.
In a news release, a representative from the league said that these new rules “show that the league is taking a proactive approach to safeguarding its athletes’ physical and emotional well-being, and are crucial to fostering a secure environment for all players.”