Georges Laraque

Biography: Georges Laraque is a 13-year NHL veteran who has played for the Edmonton Oilers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens. He was known as “The Rock”, acting primarily as an enforcer on these teams. The son of Haitian immigrants, Laraque campaigned for World Vision to help with Haitian relief and the rebuilding of the Grace Children’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince. A committed believer in animal rights and a spokesperson for PETA, he became a vegan in 2009 and has, ever since, contributed to the vegetarian movement in Montreal by becoming co-owner of two raw vegan restaurants called Crudessence and Rise Kombucha. A conscientious environmentalist, Laraque stepped up in July 2010 to be the deputy leader of the Green Party. Since his retirement, Georges has been very active as a speaker. He has been invited to hundreds of events and has spoken on various topics such as sports, motivation, racism, bullying, veganism, business, charities and politics.