Georges Blog August 10, 2010

Hi everyone,

Well, this day had to come eventually. It was impossible for me to predict how it would happen or even how I would feel. You always hope that it is a decision that is made on your own terms. After a long 12-year hockey career, 695 NHL games, I'm officially announcing my retirement. To a lot of you, it comes as a surprise considering that I'm only 33 years old, but here are all the reasons why I made this decision.

As you know, during my first year with the Canadiens, I developed two herniated disks on my back. It was truly the first time in my career I had to deal with an injury this serious, but, frankly, after 10 years of fighting and hitting, it's not surprising. When I got the diagnosis, I remember one doctor suggesting surgery to fuse my vertebrae in order to fix my problem. At age 31, I didn't think it was such a good idea to have doctors play with nerves on my back. So I took cortisone shots and pills and played through it. Nevertheless, I was never the same. Last year, when I was released by the team in January, I got a chance to heal up and was determined to come back in the NHL or even to play in Europe, but two major events made me do otherwise. First, I met my buddy Nick Brusatore, the inventor and co-founder of TERRASPHERE. He pretty much convinced me to join his company. For me, it wasn't a hard decision to make because that technology will save the world and being able to work on a project that would make such a difference in the world we live in was something I had always dreamed of. If you want more info about this new technology, go to my website. You will find a whole section on it. The second reason is that, while I was training for my comeback, my back started hurting again and to me, that's a real red flag. Do I want to risk playing another year or two and end up being paralyzed? I do like hockey, but not to that extent. Health is much more important and the prospect of ending up in a wheelchair did not appeal to me. At the same time, the TERRASPHERE opportunity presented itself and since I’ve always believed everything happens for a reason, the timing was perfect. It was time for me to move on and be part of something that would change the world.
 
If we go back to my career, I can truly say that I won't miss hockey; the reason being that I will simply be too busy. I don't think I will join the hockey commentary team anytime soon either. You have to understand that a lot of people do that after they decide to retire because they often don't have any other options. When you’ve had a long career in the NHL and you’ve been working out every day from the age of 17 until you're in your 30's, don't you want to do something else, or even show the world that you are much more than just a hockey player?

There are many people I have met throughout my career that I would like to thank. First and foremost, my brother Jules who has been for me a key supporter during the years leading to the NHL. The rest of my family also played an important role. I want to thank all the coaches I’ve ever had that have helped me become a better player, more than a one-dimensional player. Those guys were the reason why I was always playing in the NHL playoffs and able to be a key factor. For me, I’ve always considered that this in itself was an accomplishment considering that, sadly, for a lot of tough guys, the season pretty much ends in January or when the playoffs start. I have to thank the Edmonton Oilers for drafting me and making my dream come true by giving me the chance to play in the NHL. Edmonton became my home, my heart and soul, the place where I decided to live for over 10 years, the city I fell in love with and the city where I got my first and only NHL hat trick. When I remember seeing fans crying in the stands on that day, I still get shivers. Special thanks to Kevin Prendergast and his entire family. Kevin, without you guys, I would have never made it. I also want to thank the Phoenix Coyotes, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh. Wow, I have never embraced a city so quickly. I loved the team, the city and its community. That time was special for me. Especially because there were a lot of minority kids that I was able to inspire and be a role model for. And finally, I want to thank the Montreal Canadiens for giving me a chance to play in my hometown. Montreal is also the place where I scored the most important goal in my career; the only goal as a Canadien on January 14, 2010 against the Dallas Stars. It was the team first game after the tragedy in Haiti and I wanted to get a goal to dedicate it to all the Haitians in the world. When I scored, it was the most magical moment in my life and I will never forget it. I have to thank all the agents I’ve had, my NHL coaches, assistant coaches, the staff who worked for every team I played in. I have always been close to the staff, especially those who worked for the charities I was involved with. Thank you for all your hard work. It seemed like there was someone on staff just for that reason. But more importantly, I want to thank all my fans around the world. Thank you. Your support meant and still does mean the world to me. You guys made me cry, you gave me shivers, joy and happiness at a level you cannot imagine. You guys have helped me become a better athlete and a better human being. Without you, there wouldn't be any NHL. Without you, hockey would not be exciting. Thank you for the hundreds of emails of support I get every single day. Sorry if I can’t answer you all, but I always try to do my best. Thanks to you all. I love you and may God bless you all.
 
So now, what does the future hold for me? Well, as you know, even when I was playing hockey, I’ve always been really involved in the community. I’ve always wanted to save the world, help others, make a difference, but, first and foremost, I’ve always wanted to show the real me because being an athlete doesn't define you as a human being and it certainly doesn't in itself make you a better person. When an athlete retires, no one cares about the Stanley Cup or the amount of money he made. People remember you for what you have done with that notoriety. In my case, from the moment I was a kid and used to pray to God that I wanted to be in the NHL someday, I remember telling him that if one day my dream came true, I would start giving back to the people by being a good role model. This has always been my passion; visiting schools and hospitals, talking with kids and helping different charities. I have met great people. I have learned so much from those experiences and it truly made me a better person. When I die, I don’t want to be the richest guy in the cemetery. I want to spread my wealth and have an impact so I can be remembered for what I did off the ice and not on the ice. I truly realize that being a fighter is a terrible image to show our kids, an image I’ve always had a hard time with. I never did like fighting, but I had to do it because it was my job. I was uneasy every time I saw kids in the stand, 5, 6 years old, whatever age, stand up on their feet when I was fighting and yell for blood. That was never an image I wanted to leave them. Fighting is dangerous and every time you do fight, you can kill someone. Thank God nothing bad has ever happened to me or anyone I have ever fought with. Before every game, I would always pray for my protection as well as my opponent’s.

But let’s get back to my projects. Well, I'm now co-owner of Crudessence. We now have 2 raw food restaurants and a juice bar business. I also work for Terrasphere. I own a synthetic ice company called Super-Glide. I'm building a hospital in Haiti with the NHLPA and World Vision for which I am a spokesperson. I'm also a spokesperson for Peta. I'm a vegan, so I promote veganism. I am an animal activist and I am often invited to do conferences on the ethical treatments of animals, the meat industry in regards to our health, the environment... I visit schools, hospitals, answer 100 emails a day replying to different requests that I agree to do from time to time. However, my new position as the Green Party Deputy leader will make my life even busier. While I played in the NHL, I thought I was busy. Well now, I wish every day had 50 hours because, from now on, I will have to live at this pace. I love it. I have a lot of energy. I want to do everything and if some people say I do too much, well, my response is that I do stuff for people that don't do enough!
 
But let’s go back to the Green Party. There’s a lot of stuff I have to explain so you can understand how and why this happened. It all started a year and a half ago when I saw a documentary called Earthlings and decided immediately to be a vegan. I started to do conferences around Montreal to talk about the animal issues, our health and environment. The Green Party saw what I was doing and asked me if I wanted to be a member. Since I’ve always been a supporter of the Greens, it was an honour to join forces with them to try to improve our country. A couple months later, when Jacques Rivard left as the deputy leader, Elizabeth May, the leader of the Green Party of Canada, came to Montreal to meet me and ask me to take the position. I don't know if any of you guys know Elizabeth, but she is an extremely intelligent woman, and after talking with her, if she had told me I could fly to the moon, I would have tried. She not only is knowledgeable, but the passion in her eyes is like no other. With her as a leader, the Green Party will definitely have a much-needed impact on our country. So I accepted the position, considering it as an honour. The question is, what will I do? This is a question I answer every day. Maybe I will be able to save 15 minutes every hour and just tell people to read my blog, lol!

OK, well, first of all, why me? There's no doubt that popularity was a big factor. Political parties are a lot about publicity. I am not different than Ken Dryden or Jacques Demers and many other athletes who got into politics. I played in western Canada for 8 years and eastern Canada for 4. So I'm pretty much well known across Canada, so that could be helpful to the party. The fact that I'm vegan shows how committed I am to the environment cause. This is truly the best action a person can do for the environment. If you own a hybrid Prius, but you are a carnivore, it's a start, but you're impact does not even come close to that of a vegan. But let’s go back to the initial question: why me? Well, first, I don't talk like a politician. I answer questions with an answer not a question. And I will not go to school to learn how to talk like a politician. You won't need a dictionary to understand every word I will use. So, for those reasons, I know that a lot of people will listen more carefully to my message. People identify themselves to me a lot more and because I have always been active in the community and contributed, people seem to trust or endorse my position more readily. The biggest issue I want to address is the fact that we live in a democratic country yet 41% of the population does not vote. That, in itself, is a tragedy and it has to change. Some people in other countries would die to have the chance to vote, but, in Canada, we take this right for granted. Hopefully, my message will encourage people to vote and learn about different political parties, even if they don't vote green. I will of course do conferences across Canada and promote the Green Party and encourage people to vote Green to save our environment and prevent global warming. If you look at the job the Green Party has done in Europe, you will realize how remarkable that continent is. Germany, for example, is one of the most advanced countries in the world as far as green technology goes and has created over 300,000 jobs in that industry. In Canada, instead of having an all oil-based economy and destroying our environment, why don't we base it on some green technologies? How come a developed country such as ours can be one of the worst polluters? I can go on and on, but this is not the purpose of this blog, so I will move on. I will also not be running as a candidate, not for now anyway. As you read earlier in this blog, there are so many projects I'm involved with right now that I have no time to be a candidate. I would have to drop everything and devote 100% of my time to this, and this is not something I'm prepared to do right now. Haiti and a lot of other people are counting on me and I cannot let them down.
 
Finally, I want to thank you for your attention. This was a little longer than usual, but it was a special blog. I will still write from time to time to give you an update on my projects and events. If some of my projects interest you and you would like to get involved, send me an email and perhaps you can join me in making this world a better place. I'm also in the midst of a long-term project which is to write my autobiography. It will be a very interesting book, you have no idea... So to all of you, take care,

God bless,
Love you all,
Georges Laraque