Ex-NHL star describes battle with coronavirus: 'It’s the worst thing ever'
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Former NHL tough guy, Georges Laraque, is at a Canadian hospital recovering from the coronavirus and can hardly get up without losing his breath -- just weeks after training for a marathon.
Laraque, 43, who participated in 131 fights throughout his hockey career that spanned more than a decade, is now fighting an even greater battle due to complications from the virus.
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“After the COVID attacked my lungs, I can’t even get up to go brush my teeth without struggling,” he said in a series of Facebook videos over the weekend, according to Reuters. “It’s the worst thing ever. It takes all my energy just to get up."
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Laraque -- who is asthmatic -- said he started feeling symptoms on April 26 while delivering groceries to vulnerable people in his community. He said his condition got severely worse over the next few days.
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“I have pneumonia in both my lungs, they’re affected by the COVID because I have asthma, I have to have oxygen blowing through my nose,” added Laraque, who was captured on video wearing a hospital gown and coughing at times.
Laraque described his diagnosis as "crazy' because for months he had been running over six miles per day, six days a week -- in preparation for a marathon. After testing positive, Laraque said he experienced fevers a couple of times each night, the news organization reported.
“The nights are the worst,” he said. "I have to get up and take pills.”
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Georges Laraque #17 of the Montreal Canadiens laughs with former teammates before a game against the Edmonton Oilers on October 10, 2009, at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Oilers beat the Canadiens 3-2. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
On Sunday, Laraque released another video, where the ex-hockey player announced he didn't have a fever the previous night for the first time.
Laraque also praised the healthcare workers at Charles-LeMoyne hospital -- near Montreal -- who played a big part in his recovery from the virus.
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He added that people shouldn't feel sorry for him because, “I’m not the only one fighting this.”
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Laraque played parts of 12 seasons in the NHL from 1997 to 2010, including eight with the Edmonton Oilers. He finished his career playing two seasons for the Montreal Canadiens.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report