Laperriere Moved by Fans' Reaction to Video
(from the Philadelphia Inquirer)
By Sam Carchidi and Ray Parrillo
Inquirer Staff Writers
May 7, 2010 - Flyers right winger Ian Laperriere called the fans' reaction to his appearance Wednesday "unreal" and said he was moved by the long standing ovation he received when he was shown on the scoreboard during a second-period stoppage.
"I still can't believe it," he said after visiting with his teammates after Thursday's practice in Voorhees. "I mean, I've been here for seven months and to show me they appreciate what I do, I don't have the words to describe it."
During the stoppage, the scoreboard showed footage of Laperriere blocking a shot, and it was accompanied by a graphic that read: What if Ian didn't believe in sacrifice?
A camera then panned to a live shot of Laperriere in the Wachovia Center, and the fans stood and applauded - long and loud - and chants of "Lappy" echoed around the arena.
"It was unreal," Laperriere said. "I'll never forget that."
Laperriere said Boston goalie Tuukka Rask was the difference in Game 3. The rookie made 34 saves, including 15 in the second period, as the Bruins won, 4-1, and took a stranglehold lead of three games to none in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal.
"Our guys played unbelievably well in the second period. It could have easily been 4-2 for us, but unfortunately, they had a hot goalie," Laperriere said.
Rask helped Boston hold a 2-1 lead after two periods.
Laperriere, who is expected to miss the rest of the season because of a brain contusion suffered while blocking a shot in the conference quarterfinals, said he wouldn't deliver any speeches to his teammates before Game 4 on Friday at the Wachovia Center.
"I'm not out there [playing]. I'm really way more of an example of 'you go out there and do it,' " he said. "Trust me, it's hard for me. I want to be out there, but I can't... You play 82 games. This is the fun time. I'm very disappointed."
Laperriere said he feels "better every day," and "hopefully I'll be back to 100 percent" for next season. He will travel to Boston with the team if it forces a Game 5.