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Report: Veteran enforcer Laraque joins Norwegian team

George Laraque

Montreal Canadiens right winger George Laraque warms up before facing the Colorado Avalanche in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Denver on Friday, Feb. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ex-NHL pugilist George Laraque, a veteran of nearly 700 career contests, has reportedly signed with Lokomotiv Fana of the Norwegian second division, per Norwegian news outlet Bergens Tidende.

Laraque, 38, hasn’t played since appearing in 28 games for Montreal during the 2009-10 campaign. According to Bergens Tidende, the link to Lokomitiv Fana comes from when Laraque played for Swedish club AIK during the 2004-05 lockout -- Lokomotiv’s head coach apparently has a connection to the SHL team.

This is obviously a pretty, ahem, interesting development. Laraque has seen his name surface plenty of times since he stopped playing, though largely for off-ice incidents; he aided in the effort to unionize Canadian Hockey League players, announced he was running for a seat in the House of Commons and also faced fraud charges.

Per a hasty Google translation, Laraque’s initial deal with Lokomotiv is only for a week, during which the club hopes to use him as an instructor at its hockey school.