Latendresse Feeling In A Family Way

Guillaume Latendresse must be a happy Hab camper these days. Not only is his Canadiens family feeling the bond of winning, but his personal family is also on a streak of good fortune.

In January of 2007 I posted a piece at this site on Latendresse dating Quebec's Miss Universe beauty queen Maika Desnoyers. For those who may not have known, the couple are doing quite well and are expecting their first child in June.

According to the site where I found this story, there is no word yet as to whether the baby shower calls for little boy blues or precious pinks, and no expected date of birth is known.
Ms Desnoyers is currently employed as a real estate agent with Remax in the province of Quebec.

The site in question seems to have an informed source in Mont Tremblant and is a touch snooty when it comes to treating Latendresse with proper respect. The news contained therein is more gossip and Hollywood derived than it is hockey geared. Here is a quote, translated:

"We won't comment on whether it is a good thing for a young man of 20 to be having a child or not, but did you know that Guillaume's father picks up the player after games at the Bell Centre? Seems the father is concerned about his son's post game destinations. Does Guillaume have the maturity it takes to raise a child?"

What a pile of hogwash!

Those who know Guillaume closer than any outsider have often made note of a very serious young man who is respectful of his public and conscious of his development as a player and team member. He is in fact the exempliary young student of the game and his work habits of ice have accounted for him not being sat out when his play comes into question. It has been noted as well by Habs coach Guy Carbonneau that Latendresse's attitude, mental outlook, and work ethic were taken into strong consideration when he made the club as a nineteen year old last season.

That his father meets him after games should be no shocker to the well informed. Last season, RDS featured an interview with the elder Latendresse and he spoke highly of his son's dedication and respectful nature and revealed that those traits were apparent in his son at an early age.

From the interview, I recall sensing that there was a strong bond between the father and son, and that could be all there is to the site's twist on Guillaume's impending fatherhood.

It's hardly a bad thing to be spending time with your own father when you are about to become one!

Added to the news of Guillaume's child on the way, is the aquisition of his brother Olivier by the Canadiens organization recently. Signed as a free agent by the Coyotes as an 18 year old in the middle of a four season stay with the Val d' Or Foreurs of the QMJHL in 2004, the elder yet smaller Latendresse brother has been plying his trade in the Phoenix organization with the Arizona Sundogs of the CHL.

The news of his aquisition has yet to be officially announced by the Canadiens as far as I could tell, but this RDS story seems to have broken the news. It appears that Olivier will be joining, not the Hamilton Bulldogs as of yet, but the Habs ECHL farm team, the Cincinnati Cyclones for the time being.

The RDS piece does not make mention of what the Canadiens have traded to aquire Latendresse, and for all intents, the story still seems to be at the breaking news stage.

According to the site, Olivier began his season with the AHL San Antonio Rampage, netting one goal and two assists in seven games. For reasons not known, he was moved to the CHL Sundogs, where he caught fire, going 22-30-52 in 37 games there.

In the 2006 NHL Official Guide, Olivier is listed at 5' 10" and 195 pounds. By all admissions, he is a long shot NHL prospect at 22 years old.

The good news might be that the Canadiens organization can recognize a late bloomer when thery see one. Just a mention of names such as Mark Streit, Andrei Markov, Sergei Kostitsyn, Jaroslav Halak, and Michael Ryder - all picks beyond the top 150 drafted - suggests that they may be onto something good again.

Here are Olivier's current stats from Hockey Database.