Guillaume Latendresse

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
team=Montreal Canadiens
former_teams =
league = NHL
position = Right Wing
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 2
weight_lb = 229
nickname = Gui, Lats
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1987|5|24
birth_place = Sainte-Catherine, PQ, CAN
draft = 45th overall
draft_year = 2005
draft_team = Montreal Canadiens
career_start = 2006

Guillaume Latendresse (born May 24, 1987 in Sainte-Catherine, Québec) is a Canadian 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 Cincinnati Cyclones and is a draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes. On February 18th, 2008, Olivier was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens, uniting the two brothers as members of the same organization. He is currently dating Maika Desnoyers, winner of miss Quebec 2007 and a nominee for Miss Canada.

Playing career

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 to 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 several times, again for the 2006 World Junior Team, but he was cut due to a concussion he sustained after being elbowed in the head by Steve Downie, a Canadian junior player.

NHL

Latendresse's 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.

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 the NHL to ever wear number 84. [cite web| last = Cazeneuve| first = Brian| title = First to wear number 84 in NHL| publisher = Sports Illustrated, SI.com| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/brian_cazeneuve/10/25/best.numbers/index.html| accessdate = 2006-12-20 ]

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 past Dwayne Roloson to record his first career NHL goal against the Edmonton Oilers, 1:04 into the third period.

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 major 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."

Widely considered as a tribute to Guy Lafleur, the crowd at the Bell Center will often chant "Guy! Guy!" when Latendresse handles the puck during Canadiens games.

In 2005, Latendresse was essentially tricked into posing 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. [cite web|url=http://www.canoe.com/divertissement/tele-medias/nouvelles/2005/12/12/1733848-jdm.html|title=Latendresse aurait-il été «piégé» par une revue gaie?|language=French|author=Caroline Roy|publisher=Journal de Montréal|accessdate=2008-06-13|date=2005-12-12]

Career statistics

Notes