Laperriere Faces Puck, Gets Stitches
(from the Courier-Post)
By Chuck Gormley
Staff Writer
April 23, 2010 - NEWARK — Ian Laperriere never hesitated.
With 16 minutes, 4 seconds remaining in a game the Flyers were leading 3-0, the 36-year-old right winger threw his face in front of a Paul Martin slapshot, taking the puck above his right eye.
Leaving a trail of crimson behind him, Laperiere tried to make his way to the Flyers' bench but couldn't see his way there.
"It scared me," Laperriere said. "I couldn't see anything out of my right eye. I asked Jimmy (McCrossin), "Can you see my eye?' He said, "Yeah, it's there.' "
Laperriere was then guided down the runway and into the trainers' room, where he received between 60 and 70 stitches to close the gash.
"I'm mad at myself, not the shooter," Laperriere said following the Flyers' 3-0 series-clinching win. "That's a position I don't want to be in."
Laperriere was in a similar position back in November when he blocked a shot by Buffalo's Jason Pominville and lost seven teeth and needed more than 100 stitches to close those cuts.
This time, he says, he's learned his lesson.
"This is my last warning," he said. "I'm wearing a shield now. Call me dumb, call me stupid. I block shots. But my eyes are important and I want to see my kids grow up with both of my eyes."
No one appreciated Laperriere's stitched-up face more than his teammates, who have followed his example by blocking more than 70 shots in the series.
"You don't win without guys paying the price like that," Flyers goalie Brian Boucher said. "It's the only reason why we're moving to the second round. I hope Lappy's OK. The guy's an absolute warrior and without guys like him and Blair Betts we'd be dead right now."
Betts, who came to the bench in pain after blocking a shot with his left hand, said he has never seen a player sacrifice his body the way Laperriere does.
"I feel horrible for the poor guy," Betts said. "Hopefully nothing's broken."
Laperriere said he plans on playing for the Flyers in the second round of the playoffs and when someone winds up for a shot he promises he will not turn away.
"I do what I do and I don't think twice about doing it," he said. "The next game if I get a chance to block a shot I'll go down because that's what I do. The day I stop doing that I'll retire."
Reach Chuck Gormley at cgormley@courierpostonline.com