Guillaume Latendresse

Guillaume Latendresse (born May 24, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He currently plays at the forward position for the Minnesota Wild. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, 2nd round (45th overall).

Midget AAA
Latendresse played Midget AAA hockey for the Charles Lemoyne Riveraines and was the 2nd overall pick in the 2003 QMJHL Midget Draft (behind 1st overall pick Sidney Crosby).

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. Which was the last remaining number to ever be worn.

After Chris Higgins suffered an ankle injury, Latendresse was bumped up to the first line. On November 7, 2006, during his first game on the Canadiens' top 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 goaltender 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 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). 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 Québecers in the NHL instead of making stupid comments."

Widely considered as a tribute to Guy Lafleur, the crowd at the Bell Centre often chanted "Guy! Guy!" when Latendresse handled the puck during Canadiens games.

In 2005, Latendresse posed 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.

On November 23, 2009, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild for Benoît Pouliot. In his first twenty games in a Wild sweater, he scored ten goals, far surpassing his goal per game rates in Montreal.

On October 7, 2010 Latendresse scored the 1st goal of the 2010-11 NHL season. 3:33 into the 1st period on Carolina Hurricanes Goaltender, Cam Ward, in the NHL Premiere game held in Helsinki, Finland.

On November 3, 2010 he was placed on the injured reserve list. His 2010-2011 season was plagued with injuries and required surgery to repair a sports hernia and a torn labrum in his hip, and Guillaume participated in only 11 games. At the end of the season, the owner of the Wild Craig Leipold accused Latendresse of not taking his off-season training regimen seriously, and stated that Latendresse is expected to show up for the beginning of the 2011-2012 season in top shape.

Personal life
His older brother, Olivier, plays for the Abbotsford Heat and was signed by the Phoenix Coyotes. On February 18, 2008, Olivier was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens.