Georges Laraque's huge statement about Michael Pezzetta

"Well, now that it's public and the "Dans les Coulisses" website has published a video of me training with Michael Pezzeta, I can't really deny it. For several years now, I've been training players how to defend themselves or fight on the ice. I've never shared this publicly because I respect players' privacy, and at the same time, I don't want to start doing this full-time given my busy schedule.

The other day at the Bell complex in Brossard, with all the people watching us in the stands, I suspected it would come out. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with it, it's a personal initiative of Michael's who asked me for private sessions that I give free of charge to him and any other player I help in this area.

When I was young, if Probert had agreed to help me, I'd have taken him up on it in a heartbeat. I've been doing a couple of sessions with Michael and he's improved enormously. Even if Michael isn't the biggest, he plays big. He's not afraid and will defend his teammates to the death. He's aware that he's now playing in the toughest division in the league and he wants to be ready. He knows how to play hockey, he plays physical and just wants to make sure, in his preparation, to add other elements to his bow."

- Georges Laraque