Why wouldn't Laraque be a mythic figure to hockey fans? Is there another player in the NHL that has his charisma, his 1,037 career penalty minutes and who is completely dependable being the chair guy during the Horah at a Bar Mitzvah?
Scott Mckeen of The Edmonton Journal attended the Jewish rite of passage for Kotlowitz's son Adam, which had NHL players like Martin Gelinas, Scottie Upshall, Ladislav Smid and Laraque in attendance. Mckeen used this celebration of a boy's journey into manhood to talk to Laraque about his free-agent options; telling him that "it would be a personal outrage to see him" in a Calgary Flames uniform. And then he ran away out of fear that it was clobberin' time. Mazal Tov.
If MTV ever gets around to doing "My Super Sweet Bat Mitzvah," Laraque would be an awesome musical guest if the spoiled rich girl's daddy can't get Chingy or Sean Kingston to perform. The man can flat out tear it up on "Ice, Ice Baby":