Georges Laraque
Vegan athlete
Georges Laraque is an NHL veteran who has played for 13 years with the Edmonton Oilers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens. He was nicknamed "The Rock", his main role being to be the strongman of these teams. His bestselling biography, The Power to Believe, goes far beyond the stereotype of the tough guy. This is the story of a truly humanitarian spirit, a citizen engaged not only in his immediate community, but also on the world stage. Son of Haitian immigrants, Georges Laraque campaigned for World Vision during the relief mission to Haiti and helped rebuild the Grace Children's Hospital in Port-au-Prince. Today, Georges works in many charitable organizations, including the Mira Foundation which provides dogs for people with disabilities and Team In Training for research on blood cancers.
Animal rights advocate and spokesperson for PETA, he became vegan in 2009 and has since been contributing to the vegetarian movement in Montreal by becoming a co-owner of two raw vegan restaurants, Crudessence and Rise Kombucha, a fermented drink made from raw, organic, vegan and fair tea. A conscientious environmentalist, in July 2010, he accepted the post of deputy leader in the Green Party.
All in all, Georges Laraque is a man with deep convictions. As a devout Dalai Lama, he believes that "While we should build soft and peaceful bonds with our brothers and sisters, we should also maintain the same attitude towards the environment. "
Since retiring, Georges has been a very popular speaker. He has been invited to hundreds of events and spoken on various topics such as sports, motivation, racism, bullying, veganism, charity and politics.
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