15331: Vishnusurf: Re: 15320: Burnham asks about a "Haitian" hockey player (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: VISHNUSURF@aol.com

Claude Vilgraine played the better part of two seasons for the New Jersey
Devils in the early 1990s, right before they changed from those horrible
green shorts to black ones and became the NHL's dominant team. Vilgraine, who
was indeed born in Port-au-Prince (dunno how old he was when immigrated to
Montreal) was a strong and fairly skilled left winger. During one season, in
fact, he played wing on the Devil's best line, with Kevin Todd at center and
Stephane Richer on right wing. He scored 19 goals that season ('92-'93?).

The following season he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, where he never
really stuck.

As for Laraque, he was born in Montreal. He may indeed be of Haitian descent.
Because of him, the Oilers will eliminate the Stars in round one in this
season's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The only other thought that comes to mind regarding Haitians and hockey are
these:

at Union School, during Phys. Ed. class, high school students sometimes play
street hockey out on the basketball court.

And one ex-union school student (a devout Red Wings fan from an elite
Montange Noir family) also became a star in intramural ice hockey at U.
Ottawa.

As they say in Canada, "keep your stick on the ice."