Guillaume Latendresse
| Guillaume Latendresse | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 With the Senators during the 2013 playoffs. | |||
| Born |
May 24, 1987 Sainte-Catherine, QC, CAN | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg; 17 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NLA team Former teams |
ZSC Lions Montreal Canadiens Minnesota Wild Ottawa Senators | ||
| National team |
 Canada | ||
| NHL draft |
45th overall, 2005 Montreal Canadiens | ||
| Playing career | 2006–present | ||
Alain Benoît Sébastien Guillaume Latendresse (born May 24, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. A forward, he is currently under contract with the ZSC Lions. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round (45th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, and has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with Montreal, the Minnesota Wild, and the Ottawa Senators. Latendresse was born in Sainte-Catherine, Quebec, but grew up in LaSalle, Quebec.
Playing career
Junior
Latendresse was selected by the Drummondville Voltigeurs second overall in the 2003 QMJHL Entry Draft, just after Sidney Crosby who was taken first overall by the Rimouski Oceanic. He played two seasons with the Voltigeurs before being selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He attended the Canadiens' training camp in 2005 but was ultimately returned to the Voltigeurs for another season of development. He was a member of the Canadian World Junior Team that won the gold medal in 2005. In 2006 he was again invited to the Team Canada camp, but was cut due to the effects of a concussion he sustained after being elbowed in the head by fellow Canadian invitee Steve Downie.
NHL
Latendresse's successful training camp in 2006 prompted then-Canadiens' head coach Guy Carbonneau to give the 19-year-old a roster spot on the team, and General Manager Bob Gainey made Carbonneau's decision official by signing Latendresse to a three-year deal worth US$850,000 per year, the NHL rookie maximum.
Latendresse was given the number 84 to wear on his jersey prior to the start of his first season. While unaware of its significance, he became the first player in NHL history to ever wear the number 84 during a regular season game which was the last number to have never been worn.[1]
During his rookie NHL season, Latendresse moved up to the first line after forward Chris Higgins suffered an ankle injury. On November 7, 2006, during his first game on the Canadiens' top line, Latendresse tapped in a rebound past goaltender Dwayne Roloson to record his first career NHL goal against the Edmonton Oilers, 1:04 into the third period. At a press conference after that game, Guillaume was asked about the comments of former Canadiens goaltender and Hall of Famer Patrick Roy. Just a few weeks earlier, Roy had said he thinks the only reason 19-year-old rookie Latendresse remains with the Canadiens is because he's a francophone, suggesting if he was named Smith or Brown he'd be back in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Guillaume talked briefly about it. '"It's me who's supposed to be 19, not him," said Latendresse. "I will act like a man. I'll leave it to him to act like a child. I don't know why he's acting like that. I've never spoken to him. He should be delighted by the success of young Québecers in the NHL instead of making stupid comments."
In 2005, Latendresse posed topless for Montreal's gay magazine “La Voix du Village” (the Voice of the Village), creating a mild controversy and raising questions about his sexual orientation at the time.[2] Latendresse's agent, Pat Brisson, stated that his client was unaware of the nature of the publication he was being interviewed and photographed for, and that he is heterosexual. In the end, it was revealed by him that he is actually bisexual, and that he stays away from men only as a respectful gesture to his wife.[3]
Midway through his fourth season in Montreal, Latendresse was traded to the Minnesota Wild on November 23, 2009, for another underachieving forward, Benoît Pouliot. In his first twenty games with the Wild, Latendresse scored ten goals; he had scored only two in his previous 23 games in Montreal.
On October 7, 2010, Latendresse scored the first goal of the 2010-11 NHL season. 3:33 into the 1st period on Carolina Hurricanes Goaltender, Cam Ward, in the NHL Premiere game held in Helsinki, Finland.[4] His 2010-2011 season was plagued with injuries; he required surgery to repair a sports hernia and a torn labrum in his hip, and he ultimately was forced to miss all but 11 games. At the end of the season, the owner of the Wild, Craig Leipold, accused Latendresse of not taking his off-season training regimen seriously, and stated that Latendresse was expected to show up for the beginning of the 2011-2012 season in top shape.[5] Latendresse played only 16 games for the Wild in 2011-12, suffering from a hip injury and recurring concussion problems.[6]
On July 1, 2012, Latendresse signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Ottawa Senators.[7]
Latendresse was among a small group of Senators' players who had planned on attending the 2013 Boston Marathon. Latendresse and the other players had originally intended to be at the marathon's finish line during the time at which bombs exploded, killing three and injuring several spectators and runners. Scratches for that night's game against the Boston Bruins, the players changed their plans at the last minute and elected to return to their hotel for a nap instead. "We probably would have been in that exact same spot, within a block or so," defenceman Jared Cowen said.[8]
Latendresse's time with the Senators was short, as he played in only 27 games, missing the remainder of the season either with injuries or as a healthy scratch. He was informed by GM Bryan Murray on May 29, 2013, that he was being released by the team, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent. Murray was quoted as saying that Latendresse was the slowest and laziest player he'd seen in years.[9]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2003–04 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 53 | 24 | 25 | 49 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 65 | 29 | 49 | 78 | 76 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 7 | ||
| 2005–06 | Drummondville Voltigeurs | QMJHL | 51 | 43 | 40 | 83 | 105 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2006–07 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 73 | 16 | 11 | 27 | 41 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | ||
| 2008–09 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 56 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 45 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 2009–10 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 23 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 55 | 25 | 12 | 37 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 16 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 27 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | ZSC Lions | NLA | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 341 | 87 | 60 | 147 | 185 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 37 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2006 Vancouver | |
| IIHF U18 Championships | ||
 |
2005 České Budějovice | |
International
| Year | Team | Comp | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Canada | WJC18 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| 2006 | Canada | WJC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Junior int'l totals | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
Personal life
His older brother, Olivier, has played professional hockey in the AHL. He is currently a member of Graz 99ers in Austria.
References
- ^ Cazeneuve, Brian (October 25, 2006). "First to wear number 84 in NHL". Sports Illustrated, SI.com. Retrieved 2006-12-20.
- ^ Caroline Roy (2005-12-12). "Latendresse aurait-il été "piégé" par une revue gaie?" (in French). Journal de Montréal. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ Guillaume Latendresse fait parler de lui! http://tvanouvelles.ca/sports/nouvelles/archives/2005/12/20051212-094939.html
- ^ Love, Noah (10-7-2010) First of everything of the NHL season/ National Post, Sports.nationalpost.com
- ^ http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/player-pn.cgi?4110#241027
- ^ Guillaume Latendresse @THN http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/player.cgi?4110
- ^ Ottawa Senators 2012-13 Roster http://senators.nhl.com/club/roster.htm
- ^ Ottawa Senators scratches feeling fortunate after making late decision not to go to Boston Marathon finish line http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Ottawa/2013/04/16/20747386.html
- ^ GARRIOCH, BRUCE (May 30, 2013). "Senators release Guillaume Latendresse". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
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