Getting to Know: Zach Lauzon
What is your hockey nickname?
Everybody just calls me Zach. It's been like this since I was really young. So just everybody stuck with it and I guess it's more common and less complicated than Zachary.
How did you get started playing?
My brother started playing. He was a year older than me. At that age, I was doing everything that he was doing, so when I saw him start playing, I asked my dad if I could play too. That's basically how it started.
What's on your Spotify playlist?
I actually just began to listen to new music, like Latino music. I really like it. I just discovered it and it's kind of my type. So I listen to that.
What movie could you watch over and over?
I'd say Happy Gilmore. I watch it once a year. It's hilarious.
What's in your Netflix queue?
Suits. I watch a couple of other shows on Netflix, but I don't really have favorite TV shows.
What else do you do in your free time when you're not at the rink?
I actually started playing the ukulele. I take courses on YouTube to try and figure it out. I'm actually not that bad. So I do that, and also play ping pong and play golf during the summers.
What made you take up the ukulele?
Well, when I was young, my parents told me if you want to play hockey, you have to play music. I was taking piano courses and guitar courses, but I kind of let that go when hockey got more serious. But I've always liked music and I finally got the chance to play an instrument, and the ukulele is a bit easier to learn than the guitar. So I just gave it a try.
Both of your parents are doctors (his dad, Ghyslian Lauzon, is a lung specialist while his mom, Manon Turbine, is a gynecologist) - are they disappointed you didn't follow them into the medical field?
Well, maybe more my mother than my dad (laughs) because my mother is actually not a big, big fan of hockey and we're three boys who play hockey. So for sure she would have liked it if we had followed her path, which is cool, but they're still really proud of us because they know it's difficult to play hockey at a high level. At the same time, we for sure still keep an important focus on school because we know it's good to have a Plan B.
Does your family have any pets?
No. My parents are allergic, and we're four kids at home that weren't there often. We kept saying to them, 'buy us a dog, we're going to take care of it,' but they knew we wouldn't have taken care of it. But they bought us two little birds once and they were screaming at 5 a.m., so after two weeks we didn't even want them anymore.
What's your most-used emoji?
The monkey with his hands over his eyes.
What apps and games are always open on your phone?
I don't really play games on my phone, but I'm mostly on Instagram, Twitter, Netflix, Spotify, Facebook.
If you could have dinner with any famous person, who would it be?
I'd say Lebron James. I follow a bit of basketball. I watch more basketball than hockey, honestly. My brother started watching basketball two years ago and he showed it to me and since then, we play often during the summer and I just like it. I think it's a great sport and it's a big show to watch. They play with the music. So yeah, I follow basketball and I think Lebron James is the best, so it'd be nice to have dinner with him for sure.
Speaking of dinner, what's your ideal meal?
My favorite meal would be tacos. There's a thing in Quebec called Habanero, it's like Chipotle. It's good.
