Flyers' Laperriere Prepares For Biggest Test
(from the Courier-Post)
By Chuck Gormley
Courier-Post Staff
July 8, 2011 - VOORHEES - As a member of the St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers, Ian Laperriere spent his entire professional hockey career cashing paychecks in the United States.
His two sons, Tristan, 9, and Zachary, 7, were born in the U.S.
He's been to Pearl Harbor and Gettysburg and someday would like to take his family to Normandy, site of the World War II invasion by allied forces from Canada, the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
On Tuesday, Laperriere and his wife, Magali, who are having a house built in Haddonfield, will be fingerprinted, and sometime before the end of the summer they hope to pass the test that will grant them U.S. citizenship.
"We've talked about it and now it's time to do it," he said.
"I've spent most of my adult life in the States and I see us spending the rest of our lives here."
Two summers ago, Laperriere signed a three-year contract with the Flyers and in his first season in Philadelphia he became an instant favorite with the fans.
"He's one of the most energetic and positive people I've ever met," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. A fearless penalty killer and shot blocker, Laperriere's dedication to his craft cost him his career during the Flyers' 2010 playoff run when he slid in front of a shot by New Jersey Devils defenseman Paul Martin.
The puck struck him in the eye, and although Laperriere returned to the lineup a few weeks later, he was forced to miss all of last season with concussion-like symptoms.
Unlikely to play again, Laperriere, 37, was offered a position as a mentor to the Flyers' young prospects. He has spent this week working with the organization's newest players, schooling them on the importance of fitness, dedication and the ability to put the team's needs ahead of their own.
"With my experience I think I know the right way to do it,"'Laperriere said. "If you don't believe me, it's your loss because I have no other agenda than to make these guys better players.
"At their level in junior hockey or college they dominate most of the time. When you come to this level you don't dominate. At the other level you forget about things you might need to do because you dominate so much. At this level, if you don't do those things you stick out like a sore thumb. I'm here to tell them they can't cheat and they can't cut corners."
On Friday, the Flyers' weeklong prospects camp shifted to the Jersey shore, where players were broken into teams that competed in a run-bike-paddleboard triathlon, followed by an autograph session, a youth clinic and a charity softball game.
Laperriere, who is expected to begin the final year of his contract on the Flyers' long-term injury list, said he's thankful to be a part of the team, albeit as a mentor and not a teammate.
"Without the Flyers I don't know what I would have done," Laperriere said. "I sacrificed something in a Flyers uniform and if I was asked to do it again I would pay the price. But when I realized I couldn't play anymore, I sat in my house and stared at the ceiling. The kids could feel that Daddy wasn't happy and it's not their fault.
"The Flyers have given me all the tools to move on. And this is what I can do for them. I can help their players understand what it takes to get here and to stay here."
In the meantime, Laperriere continues to study everything it means to be American. He has been given a list of 100 questions, 10 of which will be on his citizenship test and six of those he'll need to answer correctly.
He already knows that the first 10 amendments are called the Bill of Rights;that there have been 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution; and that there are 100 senators (two from each state), 435 members of the House of Representatives and that a U.S. senator serves a term of six years.
"I know American history a hundred more times than I know Canadian history," he said. "Just ask all my neighbors."
Reach Chuck Gormley at cgormley@courierpostonline.com