Georges Laraque jokes around with a Haitian boy outside a hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on June 8. The former Habs enforcer is now a deputy leader of the Green Party. ((NHLPA/Canadian Press))

The federal Green Party is hoping a former NHL tough guy will help beef up the party's presence in Quebec.

Green Leader Elizabeth May on Saturday named Georges Laraque as a deputy leader of the Green Party of Canada.

The 260-pound former Montreal Canadiens enforcer joined the Greens last February but his role has been undefined until now.

The announcement is part of an attempt to gain traction in the province.

Laraque joins Adriane Carr as a deputy leader of the Greens, replacing Jacques Rivard, who jumped to the Bloc Québécois in June.

Under the Green Party of Canada constitution, there are two deputy leaders.