In his 13-year NHL career, forward Georges Laraque made his mark in more ways than one. In this feature article from The Hockey News’ April 8, 2022 edition (Volume 75, Issue 14), Laraque wrote a first-person story on the many joys of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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Laraque played 57 career NHL playoff games, and twice in those games, he played 15 games in a single post-season. And he made it clear how much he enjoyed suiting up in the post-season and chasing his Cup dreams.
“Playoff time is special,” Laraque wrote. “It is the time when players forge their reputations. This is the time when legends are born. And trust me, players know this. Some players who are relatively quiet during the regular season shine during the playoffs. You can have a bad year and completely salvage your season with a great contribution during the post-season.”
Laraque was a fan favorite wherever he played, and he reciprocated that emotion when writing about the fans’ impact on playoff games.
“The fans are the biggest reason why playoff hockey is so exciting,” Laraque said. “You know it’s going to get loud – crazy loud – in your barn thanks to the fans. I remember, in 2006, when I played for the Oilers, we had the loudest fans in the NHL. During our home games, fans were so electric, so loud, that the dressing room would shake. We had shivers before jumping on the ice. With that strength flowing through our veins, we felt invincible. So our goal was simple: in the first 10 minutes, we wanted to pound our opponent to the ground with our physical play, we wanted to intimidate them. I can say with all honesty that the fans’ energy in Edmonton played a huge role in us reaching the final that year.”
WELCOME TO THE REAL DANCE
Vol. 75, No. 14, April 8, 2022
By Georges Laraque
Believe me, playoff hockey is the best part of the NHL.
When spring comes around, you know it’s playoff time. You can smell it, and you know that in the next little while, your team will be laying it on the line to try to win the ultimate trophy, the Stanley Cup.
Playoff time is special. It is the time when players forge their reputations. This is the time when legends are born. And trust me, players know this. Some players who are relatively quiet during the regular season shine during the playoffs. You can have a bad year and completely salvage your season with a great contribution during the post-season.
I loved the playoffs, as it’s when players with size and toughness got an opportunity to shine. During the regular season, teams rely regularly on the top two lines to win games. But in the playoffs, often it’s the third- or fourth-liners who make the difference, as they set the tone. You have no chance of winning a Cup if you don’t come to the dance with players with grit.
The rulebook also seems to change during the playoffs. Referees put their whistles away, and there are fewer ticky-tack calls as the level of physicality increases to its highest. In each series, physical play is on total display. Every player must finish his checks, because the wear and tear of each game can change the result of a seven-game battle. A big hit can definitely change the momentum of a series. More importantly, when you play at home, the physical play gets the fans going. If you haven’t experienced the atmosphere of an NHL playoff game, you’re missing out on one of sport’s great spectacles.
The fans are the biggest reason why playoff hockey is so exciting. You know it’s going to get loud – crazy loud – in your barn thanks to the fans. I remember, in 2006, when I played for the Oilers, we had the loudest fans in the NHL. During our home games, fans were so electric, so loud, that the dressing room would shake. We had shivers before jumping on the ice. With that strength flowing through our veins, we felt invincible. So our goal was simple: in the first 10 minutes, we wanted to pound our opponent to the ground with our physical play, we wanted to intimidate them. I can say with all honesty that the fans’ energy in Edmonton played a huge role in us reaching the final that year.
This doesn’t just hold true in Edmonton. Each team takes advantage of the noise their fans bring to the arena. On the other side, you want to accomplish two things as the visiting team. First, you want to weather the storm for the opening 10 minutes, because you know the home team is trying to take your head off. After 10 minutes, if you manage to ride out that initial wave and the score is still 0-0, now you’re trying to get the first goal to quiet the fans and take the energy out of the building. When the home team scores first, the fans reach another level, and the mountain that is a road playoff game becomes that much steeper to climb.
Another unique aspect about playoff hockey is playing through pain. After 82 regular-season games, most guys are not 100-percent healthy when playoff time starts. Regardless, you go to the front, you battle in the corner, you finish your checks. You forget about the pain, and you do whatever it takes to play. Painkillers, cortisone shots, it doesn’t matter. Let me say it again just so it’s completely clear: we do whatever it takes. We don’t think about the negative effects of any painkillers we take in order to get back out on the ice. We don’t care, we don’t think about the future. We have one thing in mind: we want the Stanley Cup. NHLers play through all kinds of injuries in the playoffs. That’s the reason why you see so many players who require surgery after their team is eliminated.
In my 13 years in The Show, I never won the Stanley Cup. I did make two trips to the final, losing in 2006 with Edmonton against Carolina and in 2008 with the Penguins against Detroit. The 2006 loss with Edmonton still hurts today, because we lost in the ultimate game, in Game 7. I’ll never forget the image of us sitting in the room, crying with our full gear on, an hour after the game.
In 2008, after we lost, I became a free agent. Sidney Crosby came up to me and said: “Georges, I swear, in the next three years, we’re going to win the Cup!” I ended up signing in Montreal, and Sid honored his words, winning the Cup the next year.
Re-signing with the Penguins would have meant passing up a chance to play for my hometown team, but I wish I had so I could have seen my name engraved on Lord Stanley’s chalice. Remember: whatever it takes.
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- Archive: Legendary Enforcer Georges Laraque Wrote About His Love for the NHL Playoffs
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