Guillaume Latendresse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Right wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| Nickname | Guy Guy Guy!!! |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 229 lb (104 kg) |
| NHL Team | Montreal Canadiens |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | May 24, 1987, Sainte-Catherine, PQ, CAN |
| NHL Draft | 45th overall, 2005 Montreal Canadiens |
| Pro Career | 2006 – present |
Guillaume Latendresse (born May 24, 1987 in Sainte-Catherine, Québec) is a professional ice hockey player. He currently plays at forward position for the Montreal Canadiens, having been drafted by them in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, 2nd round (45th overall). His older brother, Olivier plays for the San Antonio Rampage and is a draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes.
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
[edit] Junior
Latendresse, a power forward, was the 2nd overall choice in 2003 QMJHL's entry draft by the Drummondville Voltigeurs, just after Sidney Crosby. He played three seasons with the Voltigeurs. Latendresse went on the Montreal Canadiens' training camp in 2005. The Canadiens returned him to the Voltigeurs. He made the Canadian World Junior team that won the gold medal in 2005 but head coach Brent Sutter felt that Latendresse was always on his own page and he had him benched for most of the tournament. Latendresse tried out sevral times ,again for the 2006 World Junior Team, but he was cut due to a concussion he sustained after being accidentally elbowed in the head by Steve Downie, a Canadian junior player.
[edit] NHL
Latendresse's impressive training camp in 2006 prompted Canadiens' coach Guy Carbonneau to give the 19-year-old a roster spot on September 29, and General Manager Bob Gainey made Carbonneau's decision official by signing Latendresse to a three-year deal worth $850,000 US per year - the NHL rookie maximum.
After Chris Higgins suffered an ankle injury, Latendresse was bumped up to the first line. On November 7th, 2006, during his first game on the first line, Latendresse tapped in a rebound passed Dwayne Roloson to record his first career NHL goal against the Edmonton Oilers, 1:04 into the third period. The goal was originally credited to linemate Saku Koivu, but was later changed, in the third period of the game, and credited to Latendresse. After hearing his name announced as the official goal scorer, he received a loud standing ovation from the sell-out crowd in Montreal (21,273).
Guillaume Latendresse is beloved by all of the French Canadien fans in Montreal since he is from the area. Whenever he scores or gets on the score sheet, the crowd chants "Guy, Guy, Guy", hence his nickname "Guy." He is constant contributor the the Habs lineup and is always ready for the games.
[edit] Career Statistics
| 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 | ||
[edit] Trivia
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 would be the first player in the NHL to ever wear number 84. Furthermore, this was the last number (between 1 and 99) to never have been worn by any previous player. [1]
Widely considered as a tribute to Guy Lafleur, the crowd at the Bell Center will often chant "Gui! Gui!" when Latendresse handles the puck during Canadiens games.
Latendresse was drafted 2nd overall in the 2003 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft, behind sensation Sidney Crosby. He even was scouted at number one for a short period of time. However, he had trouble living up to the expectations put on him due to a shoulder surgery in the 2004-2005 offseason.
In 2005, Latendresse was essentially tricked into posing topless for Montreal's gay magazine[2][3] “La voix du Village[4]” (the voice of the village), creating a mild controversy and raising questions about his sexual orientation at the time.
At a press conference after the game in which he scored his first NHL goal against the Edmonton Oilers, Guillaume was asked about the comments of former Canadiens Goalie 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 the Quebec junior league. 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 Quebecers in the NHL instead of making stupid comments."
[edit] Notes
- ^ Cazeneuve, Brian. First to wear number 84 in NHL. Sports Illustrated, SI.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
- ^ Guillaume Latendresse. La voix du Village. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
- ^ Guillaume Latendresse. La voix du Village. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
- ^ La voix du Village. La voix du Village. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
