Georges Laraque sends warning to everyone in the league on Matt Rempe's behalf
Photo credit: Whiskey Riff
Thanks to Georges Laraque, Matt Rempe may have a better chance fighting the remaining enforcers in the NHL.
To Laraque, this is a free and fun service to offer as he trained Rempe and this was after he saw Rempe take on Matt Martin, Matthieu Olivier, Nicolaus Deslauriers, and Kurtis MacDermid. He thought Rempe needed some work:
«I was like, 'Oh my God, he's getting hit way too much because he has no technique,' » Laraque recalled to The Post in a recent phone call. «And then after a few fights, his face, he had black eyes and everything. After [the] Olivier [fight], when it kind of went a bit bad, I was like, 'OK, I have to reach out to him.' Because he was so good for the league.»
The two would make contact and set a date for Laraque to teach him what he learned in 695 NHL games, and 159 career fights( according to hockey fights.com). This was at first, through text.
This would later lead to Rempe taking on heavyweight, Ryan Reaves and would make a better showing against Kurtis MacDermid and the New Jersey Devils.
«So what I told him, I said, 'Listen, when the season is over, if you want, we can meet up and we'll do this on the ice,'» said Laraque, who is now a public speaker and member of the NHL's and NHL Players Association's Inclusion Coalition. «It's way better on the ice than by text. So a couple weeks ago, he texted me and he said, 'Can I take you up on your offer?' »
Much like Doug Glatt and Ross Rhea, veteran and rookie met up, talked shop and practiced for 90 minutes a day at Silent Ice Center in Edmonton, Alberta in order to ensure Rempe's long-term success.
They discussed, the way to take off a helmet, the way to position yourself and grab a jerse, how to position himself and protection himself, how to use his uppercut and prevent being hit and lastly discussing the psychological approach to cover.
expanded upon it to:
How to make opponents worry about more than just what you are.
Battling the anxiety of a fight.
How to calm yourself down.
How to prepare your body for a fight.
Refining the mental approach in all aspects.
Laraque did it all for free.
Battling the anxiety of a fight.
How to calm yourself down.
How to prepare your body for a fight.
Refining the mental approach in all aspects.
Laraque did it all for free.
«Wait til you see,» the 13-year NHL veteran said, his smile almost audible through the phone. «I gave him so much information, so much technique, we practiced so much. I can't wait for you to see it. I can't wait. You know, the other thing too is, they know. The whole league knows what he just did. They know he's not going to be the same.
«If you look at all my fights, the way that I was, I was very technical. Yes, I was tough, strong, 6-4, but I was technical. I barely got connected. I never got concussions in my career, I never got knocked out, never lost a tooth, never got stitches, never got nothing. Why? Because of technique. It's not just strength.
«It was technique and he's taller than me. So now that he has all my technique, all my tricks, at 6-8, who is going to touch him?»
«If you look at all my fights, the way that I was, I was very technical. Yes, I was tough, strong, 6-4, but I was technical. I barely got connected. I never got concussions in my career, I never got knocked out, never lost a tooth, never got stitches, never got nothing. Why? Because of technique. It's not just strength.
«It was technique and he's taller than me. So now that he has all my technique, all my tricks, at 6-8, who is going to touch him?»
Rempe looks like a much, much different fighter thanks to Laraque and would pity the next fighter that comes across the rookie forwards path.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 19 | 121 ANSWERS Georges Laraque sends warning to everyone in the league on Matt Rempe's behalf Do you think Matt Rempe will be a better fighter next year? | ||
| Yes | 101 | 83.5 % |
| No | 20 | 16.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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