Laperriere Makes Good Impression
(from the Bucks County Courier Times)
By Wayne Fish
Bucks County Courier Times
October 5, 2009 - The scouting report on new Flyer forward Ian Laperriere said he's a gritty defensive guy with a knack for penalty killing and the occasional fracas.
Who knew he was an articulate hockey strategist with a dry sense of humor?
Laperriere showed off his full repertoire in Saturday night's 5-2 win at New Jersey.
The 35-year-old not only popped a shot past future Hall of Fame goalie Marty Brodeur, he was able to make light of it after the game.
After all, he has played in 1,003 NHL games and has only 119 goals to show for it.
Laperriere fired a wide-angle shot that somehow squeezed under Brodeur's arm.
Explain that one.
"If I don't know where it's going," he deadpanned, "I don't think Marty knows."
Laperriere adds a nice bookend to another tough guy, Daniel Carcillo, on Blair Betts' fourth line.
While Laperriere hasn't done much in the "energy" department yet, it's only a matter of time. He's exceeded the 100-penalty-minute mark in 11 of the past 12 seasons and is closing in on the 2,000-minute level for his career.
He's played in the Western Conference for the past decade so it's going to take a while to form new personal rivalries in the East.
"I'm all new, I'm not mad at anybody yet," he said, chuckling. "That's it, just give me a couple games and I'll get mad at someone. I need to look at their stats, I'm sure they're doing the same thing with me.
"Trust me, I'll find my rivals."