Ex-NHLer Laraque helps Moncton group help Haiti

Former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque is coming to Moncton to help raise money for a humanitarian mission to Haiti this year.

Laraque, the son of Haitian immigrants, and former winger with the Montreal Canadiens, will be at the University of Moncton on March 16 and 17.

He's taking part in a reception at the university to help students raise money for a humanitarian mission to Haiti later this spring.

Roughly 40 students from the university’s Right to Play club are heading to Haiti at the end of April. 

They will distribute sports and medical equipment and oversee the construction of a new hospital clinic.

Right to Play is an international non-governmental organization that operates in developing countries. The organization says its goal is to improve the lives of children "by using the power of sport and play for development, health and peace."

Laraque has a history of helping Haiti in its efforts to recover from its devastating earthquake.

Laraque has joined forces with other NHL players to help Haiti in the past. Laraque and Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban went to Haiti last summer to visit a children's hospital badly damaged in the 2010 earthquake.

The reconstruction of Grace Children's Hospital in Port-au-Prince is being funded in part by Hockey for Haiti, a project initiated by Laraque.

While in Moncton, Laraque will also hold several book signings at both the university and at the local Chapters bookstore.

Laraque's autobiography, Georges Laraque: The Story of the NHL's Unlikeliest Tough Guy, was published last fall.