Mr Scott, Nice job developing this series. Please reach out to the guys from the 60's and 70's while we still have them. And Mr. Laraque, you were a great interview and warrior.
As a staunch Edmonton Oiler fan I had the pleasure watching him from a raw rookie to the King of the hill……one of the nicest, politest, kindest and toughest guy you could meet…..
People remember Georges as a fighter but honestly he was a very serviceable fourth liner. I loved having him as part of the 2008 Penguins team that went to the Stanley Cup final and did not want him to leave the following season.
What a great pair of guys. The more I watch the tough guy interviews, the more I realize they have a lot more going on than their reputations imply. The honesty about the nerves belies the calm exterior on the ice. Great interview John, Georges.
George is an awesome guy. He’s still loved here in Edmonton. He’s on the radio once a week and he’s always great and sometimes he’ll get on a roll and he’s hysterically funny. Very big heart too with all the charities and so on and he always pumps up the guy he’s talking to and tries to make a positive impression. I love this interview show, I’m glad I clicked on it.
This is brilliant, so interesting, I love this channel. John Scott is a superb interviewer, making it all about the guest and not himself. George’s Laraque is such a likeable, funny, honest guy in telling it like it really was, with all the fear involved. It’s a bonus he’s also a Vegan! ❤️
As a former player, just school-boy hockey and some college stuff, I just want to say how much I respect these "tough guys" who obviously are thinking men, too. They are asked to do a very tough and dangerous job, and some pay a heavy price for it - Derek Boogaard comes to mind - so it is great to see/hear the men behind the image. The enlightened types want hockey to do away with fighting entirely, but it wouldn't be the same sport without it. And just because guys fight, doesn't mean they don't respect each other down the line. If you honor the code of the game, you'll win respect. And it looks like these guys did just that. Hey John Scott - Hawks fan here... still miss seeing you in the Indian Head sweater. Hope life after hockey is treating you and yours OK. That year at the All-Star Game was the coolest thing .... I'll never forget it, and I know darned sure you won't!
MR Laraques hat trick was amazing. I am no Oilers fan. Far from it. But I remember watching that game and it was amazing to see him earn that Hatty!!! Respect to Mr Laraque for years and years of highlights growing up. Great interview Mr Scott.
I’ve listened to 5 minutes so far and I hav to pause and say this is gold. This is catering to fans like me that loved this era and loved and appreciated the enforcers. As a fan I have been shunned by the NHL. I’d rather see roughness than fancy stick handling/speed.
Agreed. The game now isnt the same game I grew up watching. Fighting and hitting is what made hockey unique, now they say its all about skill and speed, which who even cares about that. If I wanted to watch people play hockey and not hurt each other Id go to my local ball hockey rink. Without fighting and physicality hockey is just as bland as every other sport.
What a great conversation! Even some of the old school guys (my youth) 70s and 80s were so down to earth and real when meeting them. Georges man, what a great guy. Big John... loved seeing you in the ASG! :-)
GL is probably the toughest dude to put on a pair of skates. It's a lucky thing for many of opponents that he is a nice guy at heart. Many times he had a player in a vulnerable position at the end of a fight and he let up, Very honorable player/fighter.
Miss you in Edmonton, Big Georges!! One of the best fighters we ever saw here.. in the same league as Semenko, Brown, and MacIntyre. Just a dominant fighter, but also a great person too. I love his story about how he trained on the ice too. Very smart.. surprising other guys (or few guys, if any) were doing it at that time. Wonder if it's any different today.
Excellent interview John… great insight from one of the very best to ever drop the gloves. Interesting to hear George’s strategy of getting a death grip and pulling the fighter in and straightening his opponents up right in front of him by leaning on them with his 250lbs. While making it easer to hit his opponents. It was always evident he had great leg strength and makes sense with his core now to. Don’t recall anyone ever wrestling him off of his skates. He always won the takedowns. Got him ranked in top 5 all-time.
Wow, I have much more respect for Big George (and for Big John) after watching this. Great insight to what it’s like to be a fighter in the NHL. Looking forward to listening to other vids (can you interview other favs like The Grim Reaper and Marty?) ;-)
Great interview! I think Ken Baumgartner would be an interesting guy to interview. He played during the toughest era and is a complete dichotomy from his role as an enforcer.
Love the insight interview. Hi George, glad to see you beat Covid too. I have one of your game jerseys from when you played here in Edmonton. Would like to have you autograph it sometime. Thanks
I’m back to say this was absolutely incredible. I hung on every word. Hearing candid commentary on some classic fighting moments was throughly entertaining. It’s a genius concept. I will also say I like Laraque a lot more now. He has a great personality and he’s humble and honest.
Laraque is in the top 5 of all time...and he could play. Not just a tough guy...but what sets him apart from most known sports stars is his genuineness...his humility. Always wished he could of worn the orange and black... I guess the FLYERS felt different?
I never saw anyone beat Laraque and you can’t say that about many tough guys in the NHL. He never even looked angry while the battle was going on like most guys do. He often just intimidated his opponents by his calm demeanor during the fights. One time he even wished his opponent good luck before a fight and still gave the guy a beatdown.
As a young Oilers fan I always thought there wasn't anyone or anything that Big George Laraque was scared of.... Toughest dude I ever saw... Most memorable George moment was obviously his hatty against LA... Most memorable fight was against Colton Orr (Rangers) and he buckled his knees three times.... Grew up watching Colton fight in Winnipeg with the South Blues.... Seeing him get his ass handed to him was astonishing
Brilliant training strategy by Laraque. He was a master grappler and shut the best of em down. Appreciate his honesty and vulnerability in this interview.
Awesome discussion Gentleman. I always had a feeling that Big George must have trained different (MMA etc)? or something in the off season because his balance(core strength) was so Superior to others. Size/Muscle on Skates vs Strength and Balance... And what George said about the MVP thing John put alot of Faith that was lost back in the Game from the Fans Perspective. It was like you single handedly took the game back and handed it us?? Bless you both...
love the George Laraque hat trick: 3 goals and a fight! I think Jim Mckenzie had one of those against the Kings when he was in Phoenix. not 100% sure but I think he did.
The way he handled Ray was beyond impressive...his raw strength and balance is second to maybe only Simon. And then he beat up Simon....and he seem like such a nice person. Who wouldn't want Laraque on their team?
Good call I would like to hear Langdon. Very underrated. He did well against bigger guys. Great technique, quick hands and good at controlling angles. Langdon showed up against anyone!
@@dpgerais2592 He fought the best of the best,been watching his fights all night.Really wish there was more mention of him,he's from my home province and I didn't even hear about him myself until I was in high school.
Georges is correct, back then tough guys would probably have to fight at least once every game. that's totally different from today's game. such a tough job.
Georges, one of the toughest guys ever! That story about him and Louie DeBrusk scared to look at Dave Brown was hilarious. Dave Brown was a straight up assassin and literally looked like he was going for manslaughter every fight.
Georges Laraque is the undisputed #1 enforcer of alltime. So much control in fights thats his heart rate wouldn't even go up. He could play hockey! Can you imagine BGL playing with no instigator rule? Great career !
There is always gonna be that conversation on who was the toughest. Even the best lost some. All I can say is the scrappers in George's day were lucky that George was not mean like John Ferguson.
@@dpgerais2592 Well first, the instigator rule didn't have much effect on Georges. There was probably never a more "gentlemanly" enforcer. Almost all his fights being 100% squared up. The instigator was more for the Churla's and Odjick's who often would throw several punches before the opponent even knew they were in a fight. Laraque comes in at 10 on my personal top 10 of all time, not including pre mid 70s guys i have seen limited footage of.
Great interview! I was never a big fan of Laraque as a fighter because so many of his fights were just him overpowering guys and throwing them to the ice, but hearing how much thought he put into how he trained gives me a lot more respect for his style. He may not have been the most exciting fighter but he was clearly one of the most intelligent, and there is no denying how effective he was.
Awesome interview! "I had the worst pre-game nap, I think I peed my bed..." HAHAHAAA!!! George is the best, love and miss chatting with you forever George, at of all places...Canadian Tire...(twice!! lol ). Top three king heavyweights of all time with 'Cement-head' Semenko, Brownie (MacIntyre as well...all Oilers :) Probert, Dave Schultz, Bouregard with honorable mention right up there as well. Hockey has become so pansy now unfortunately :(
It would be interesting to have Tony Twist on and have John just straight up ask him about steroids. There's no way you get from his Nordiques physique to his dominant monster body with the Blues without some pharmaceuticals.
interesting... i heard an interview with Dave Brown on Chris Nilan's podcast...he said the same thing...going to the American League helped him become a better fighter...he said he couldn't make the jump as a fighter direct from Junior straight to the NHL
Mr Scott, Nice job developing this series. Please reach out to the guys from the 60's and 70's while we still have them. And Mr. Laraque, you were a great interview and warrior.
Brilliant, candid conversation. I love that these legendary tough guys are also brave enough to speak about their feelings.
A legendary tough guy and an all star joke you mean. Don't act like they're even in the same stratosphere
@@turkturkleton2671 I take it you never saw John Scott fight
@@turkturkleton2671 you can't have that user name and make comments like that. Turkleton is actually cool af.
As a staunch Edmonton Oiler fan I had the pleasure watching him from a raw rookie to the King of the hill……one of the nicest, politest, kindest and toughest guy you could meet…..
I remember seeing Georges around Edmonton on 2 different occasions in my younger days. He is a good man.
You’re stating the obvious
People remember Georges as a fighter but honestly he was a very serviceable fourth liner. I loved having him as part of the 2008 Penguins team that went to the Stanley Cup final and did not want him to leave the following season.
i agree
Great stuff
George kept saying how scared he was.
I bet his opponents were even more scared to fight him. Lol
Awesome interview John.....love hearing these hockey stories from you guys....true legends of the game.......when it was a man's game. Cheers 🍻
both u guys are legends two of the best ever thanks for all the good ones
What an amazing human. Great respect for the honesty from perhaps the toughest guy to ever lace em up
What a great pair of guys. The more I watch the tough guy interviews, the more I realize they have a lot more going on than their reputations imply.
The honesty about the nerves belies the calm exterior on the ice. Great interview John, Georges.
Outstanding job John and George! So much respect for the two of you being so candid about the fear that goes in to the role of enforcer. Outstanding.
This is the greatest 36 minutes I've seen on youtube. Thanks guys!
George is an awesome guy. He’s still loved here in Edmonton. He’s on the radio once a week and he’s always great and sometimes he’ll get on a roll and he’s hysterically funny. Very big heart too with all the charities and so on and he always pumps up the guy he’s talking to and tries to make a positive impression. I love this interview show, I’m glad I clicked on it.
Perhaps 1 of the greatest interviews i have ever watched of these NHL gladiators !! Tyvm Scott.
Awesome interview...John is a natural at this...two class acts just being honest about the whole fight game much respect for these guys.
Man this is just awesome, great job John! My wish list: Twist, Paul Laus, Dave Brown, Dan Kordic and Nicky Fotiu. Keep up the good work :)
This series is nothing short of amazing.
This is brilliant, so interesting, I love this channel. John Scott is a superb interviewer, making it all about the guest and not himself. George’s Laraque is such a likeable, funny, honest guy in telling it like it really was, with all the fear involved. It’s a bonus he’s also a Vegan! ❤️
Fantastic insight! BGL is a legend ..... John, you do a great job.
Amazing interview. How come I have missed this. Two great guys.
That was a great conversation.
Totally enjoyed it.
Interesting, personal, humorous , that’s an interview.
2:54
I visited Oduya's grave a couple of summers ago. Nice touch by Laraque to speak so well of him.
Thanks for that Scott! That was aw3esome. I didn't expect anything less out of Georges. What a great guy.
That was awesome! True legends. John Scott you keep it going. You have a gift at interviewing and bringing the best out of the tough guys of the game.
As a former player, just school-boy hockey and some college stuff, I just want to say how much I respect these "tough guys" who obviously are thinking men, too. They are asked to do a very tough and dangerous job, and some pay a heavy price for it - Derek Boogaard comes to mind - so it is great to see/hear the men behind the image. The enlightened types want hockey to do away with fighting entirely, but it wouldn't be the same sport without it. And just because guys fight, doesn't mean they don't respect each other down the line. If you honor the code of the game, you'll win respect. And it looks like these guys did just that. Hey John Scott - Hawks fan here... still miss seeing you in the Indian Head sweater. Hope life after hockey is treating you and yours OK. That year at the All-Star Game was the coolest thing .... I'll never forget it, and I know darned sure you won't!
Very nice interview!George is a nice guy,always smiling and giving back to the community,we like him very much around here...
Love these John .. Keep this going it's great for us older fans who remember what you guys did .. Utmost of respect for the tough guys of Hockey ..
Nice to hear an athlete, especially a "goon" communicate so eloquently. I'm impressed by this fellow.
I didn’t know who Georges Laraque was until a couple months ago randomly finding him on Instagram, but damn I love this dude. Awesome video
Laraque is a Legend !
MR Laraques hat trick was amazing. I am no Oilers fan. Far from it. But I remember watching that game and it was amazing to see him earn that Hatty!!! Respect to Mr Laraque for years and years of highlights growing up.
Great interview Mr Scott.
Seriously this show is brilliant!
I’ve listened to 5 minutes so far and I hav to pause and say this is gold. This is catering to fans like me that loved this era and loved and appreciated the enforcers. As a fan I have been shunned by the NHL. I’d rather see roughness than fancy stick handling/speed.
Agreed. The game now isnt the same game I grew up watching. Fighting and hitting is what made hockey unique, now they say its all about skill and speed, which who even cares about that. If I wanted to watch people play hockey and not hurt each other Id go to my local ball hockey rink. Without fighting and physicality hockey is just as bland as every other sport.
watch football then, its still good, even with the QB protective rules
What a great conversation! Even some of the old school guys (my youth) 70s and 80s were so down to earth and real when meeting them. Georges man, what a great guy. Big John... loved seeing you in the ASG! :-)
Thank you!!! AWSOME interview
Thank you for doing this, buddy seems like a good guy
“ I was hoping to get sick, get pneumonia, get run over by a bus…“ LOL!!!!
GL is probably the toughest dude to put on a pair of skates. It's a lucky thing for many of opponents that he is a nice guy at heart. Many times he had a player in a vulnerable position at the end of a fight and he let up, Very honorable player/fighter.
I will always remember the clip of him asking a guy to fight and then wishing him good luck and then Darren pang loling.
fantastic interview! hilarious! and that's a sweet Ed Belfour poster in the background
Awesome interview! 👊👊👊💪💪 miss the 90s and 00s. Hearing the stories is incredible
Miss you in Edmonton, Big Georges!! One of the best fighters we ever saw here.. in the same league as Semenko, Brown, and MacIntyre. Just a dominant fighter, but also a great person too. I love his story about how he trained on the ice too. Very smart.. surprising other guys (or few guys, if any) were doing it at that time. Wonder if it's any different today.
Great interview! Two character guys! Thanks!
Excellent interview John… great insight from one of the very best to ever drop the gloves. Interesting to hear George’s strategy of getting a death grip and pulling the fighter in and straightening his opponents up right in front of him by leaning on them with his 250lbs. While making it easer to hit his opponents. It was always evident he had great leg strength and makes sense with his core now to. Don’t recall anyone ever wrestling him off of his skates. He always won the takedowns. Got him ranked in top 5 all-time.
Wow, I have much more respect for Big George (and for Big John) after watching this. Great insight to what it’s like to be a fighter in the NHL. Looking forward to listening to other vids (can you interview other favs like The Grim Reaper and Marty?) ;-)
Brilliant training strategy by Georges.
Great interview! I think Ken Baumgartner would be an interesting guy to interview. He played during the toughest era and is a complete dichotomy from his role as an enforcer.
Love the insight interview. Hi George, glad to see you beat Covid too. I have one of your game jerseys from when you played here in Edmonton. Would like to have you autograph it sometime. Thanks
This was a lot of fun to watch.
I’m back to say this was absolutely incredible. I hung on every word. Hearing candid commentary on some classic fighting moments was throughly entertaining. It’s a genius concept.
I will also say I like Laraque a lot more now. He has a great personality and he’s humble and honest.
You gotta love big George what a class act and a great guy!
This podcast is so good ! I wish these episodes would be longer though
Georges scored 13 goals in a season...he could play the game. Not bad for a guy as big as sasquatch!
This guy is one of my favorites because of his gentle nature
These guys are so awesome. LOVE the stories ❤❤
Laraque is in the top 5 of all time...and he could play. Not just a tough guy...but what sets him apart from most known sports stars is his genuineness...his humility.
Always wished he could of worn the orange and black...
I guess the FLYERS felt different?
Great interview Bravo!
Behn Wilson, please
Wilson would be great.
john your the man! i didnt know your had a podcast! newest subscriber!
One of the greats who also has a great attitude . Much respect to Geaorges
I could listen to Jon and George talk all day
Great clip
George was a genuine top heavyweight
I never saw anyone beat Laraque and you can’t say that about many tough guys in the NHL. He never even looked angry while the battle was going on like most guys do. He often just intimidated his opponents by his calm demeanor during the fights. One time he even wished his opponent good luck before a fight and still gave the guy a beatdown.
Legend and often forgotten - found some of the greatest... GL is a top 20
Top 20 ??? I don't know how to judge fighters, but BGL did not lose a lot and if he did, it was a close one. So maybe Top 10 ?
As a young Oilers fan I always thought there wasn't anyone or anything that Big George Laraque was scared of.... Toughest dude I ever saw... Most memorable George moment was obviously his hatty against LA... Most memorable fight was against Colton Orr (Rangers) and he buckled his knees three times.... Grew up watching Colton fight in Winnipeg with the South Blues.... Seeing him get his ass handed to him was astonishing
Having myself crowned Laraque and Probert in my previous post don't forget about one of the more originals (John Ferguson Sr. Montreal Canadiens)
Brilliant training strategy by Laraque. He was a master grappler and shut the best of em down. Appreciate his honesty and vulnerability in this interview.
Awesome discussion Gentleman. I always had a feeling that Big George must have trained different (MMA etc)? or something in the off season because his balance(core strength) was so Superior to others. Size/Muscle on Skates vs Strength and Balance...
And what George said about the MVP thing John put alot of Faith that was lost back in the Game from the Fans Perspective. It was like you single handedly took the game back and handed it us??
Bless you both...
Laraque is legend! I would rather have anyone punch me in the face than Georges.. One of the most feared and best to throw hands, hands down.
love the George Laraque hat trick: 3 goals and a fight! I think Jim Mckenzie had one of those against the Kings when he was in Phoenix. not 100% sure but I think he did.
Mick Vukota did that early in his career, against Washington
john scott reminds me of will farrell's sidekick in the movie Step Brothers
The way he handled Ray was beyond impressive...his raw strength and balance is second to maybe only Simon. And then he beat up Simon....and he seem like such a nice person. Who wouldn't want Laraque on their team?
There's not enough good meat and potatoes guys like you in the league now!!! Great content as ever!
Georges Laraque is a genuinely nice guy. Unless he needed to beat you down in a game. Then......well.....he was a very, very dangerous nice guy.
Maybe the best comment ever!
Can you do an episode on Darren Langdon please? Such an underated enforcer
Good call I would like to hear Langdon.
Very underrated.
He did well against bigger guys.
Great technique, quick hands and good at controlling angles.
Langdon showed up against anyone!
@@dpgerais2592 He fought the best of the best,been watching his fights all night.Really wish there was more mention of him,he's from my home province and I didn't even hear about him myself until I was in high school.
@@damonnewman1746
Langdon had Incredible stamina.
Most of his fights are marathons.
Great boxing skills!
Over 120 NHL fights...
Outstanding
Georges is correct, back then tough guys would probably have to fight at least once every game. that's totally different from today's game. such a tough job.
34:10 Mick Vukota Natural Hat Trick in 5 minutes in the first period and then fought Alan May in the 2nd period.
Georges, one of the toughest guys ever! That story about him and Louie DeBrusk scared to look at Dave Brown was hilarious. Dave Brown was a straight up assassin and literally looked like he was going for manslaughter every fight.
He's such a gentleman.
Boogaard seemed to have trouble with the strong southpaws: Laraque, Brashear, Simon.
Looking forward to reffing you at Hockey for the Homeless in Winnipeg!
George is a great man! I wouldn't want to piss him off!
This is a great series, love to hear the real person that you don't get when they play. My personal opinion is that big
George was top 3 all time
Oh, this is great!!
Georges Laraque is the undisputed #1 enforcer of alltime.
So much control in fights thats his heart rate wouldn't even go up.
He could play hockey!
Can you imagine BGL playing with no instigator rule?
Great career !
Very Tough, Not close to number 1 all time
@@Mike7911779
Where is Laraque on your list?
Who''s your #1 ?
There is always gonna be that conversation on who was the toughest. Even the best lost some. All I can say is the scrappers in George's day were lucky that George was not mean like John Ferguson.
@@dpgerais2592 Well first, the instigator rule didn't have much effect on Georges. There was probably never a more "gentlemanly" enforcer. Almost all his fights being 100% squared up. The instigator was more for the Churla's and Odjick's who often would throw several punches before the opponent even knew they were in a fight.
Laraque comes in at 10 on my personal top 10 of all time, not including pre mid 70s guys i have seen limited footage of.
Great interview! I was never a big fan of Laraque as a fighter because so many of his fights were just him overpowering guys and throwing them to the ice, but hearing how much thought he put into how he trained gives me a lot more respect for his style. He may not have been the most exciting fighter but he was clearly one of the most intelligent, and there is no denying how effective he was.
Awesome interview! "I had the worst pre-game nap, I think I peed my bed..." HAHAHAAA!!!
George is the best, love and miss chatting with you forever George, at of all places...Canadian Tire...(twice!! lol ). Top three king heavyweights of all time with 'Cement-head' Semenko, Brownie (MacIntyre as well...all Oilers :) Probert, Dave Schultz, Bouregard with honorable mention right up there as well. Hockey has become so pansy now unfortunately :(
It would be interesting to have Tony Twist on and have John just straight up ask him about steroids. There's no way you get from his Nordiques physique to his dominant monster body with the Blues without some pharmaceuticals.
Twist became an avid weight lifter and had his own gym. He still lifts and is in great shape. I see him occasionally in St. Charles Mo.
Brilliant interview it would be good to get Colton Orr on John!!
interesting... i heard an interview with Dave Brown on Chris Nilan's podcast...he said the same thing...going to the American League helped him become a better fighter...he said he couldn't make the jump as a fighter direct from Junior straight to the NHL
This is so interesting
☺👌
"We all worry" then there's Tony Twist who said in a documentary that he loved fighting and wanted to hurt people lol
Awesome
Please don’t stop making these
Tremendous
Georges Laraque: Imagine if he was mean?!
Does he talk about lucic snd the code at all?
I went to the fights and a hockey game broke out...
I didnt know Georges was cousins with Jean Luc Grand Pierre
Georges, come back and protect Cole Caufield.
Mick Vukota scored a hat trick against the Caps. I was at the game. I don't think he fought, though.
Vukota actually did fight Alan May in that game.
I don’t recall that, but I believe you! That makes it even better.