In a Twitter post recently, former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque made the confession that throughout his career, he hated his role in fighting.
With 1,126 penalty minutes in 695 games across his career with the Edmonton Oilers, Arizona Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Montreal Canadiens, Laraque became one of the most feared enforcers of his time.
His story isn't that much different from many former enforcers across the league. Laraque likely dominated hockey leagues growing up, but when nearing the professional level, had to utilize his size and fill a new role to be a part of a team.
Laraque noted that if he became one of the best fighters in the league, the respect from his opponents would mean he wouldn't have to fight as much. He was correct, his penalty minutes did decrease around the end of his career, and his reputation as the league's toughest deters the other team taking runs at your players. Not dissimilar to other older enforcers around the league, like Wayne Simmonds or Matt Martin.
The enforcer role is slowly working its way out of hockey, and it's probably for the best. At heart, most of the hockey fighters wish they could've just played the game they loved, rather than fight just to stay on the ice.
