Parker Will be Back in 'Office'
(from the Longmont Daily Times-Call)
By Michael Kelly
Daily Times-Call
March 1, 2007 - CENTENNIAL - Ian Laperriere always smiles, but the grin on his face Wednesday was even bigger.
The Colorado Avalanche enforcer, who has the scars and crooked nose to attest to his role, was glad to give up his fighting duties to Scott Parker.
"The job Lappy did this year was appreciated by everyone," Avs coach Joel Quenneville said. "He was out there a lot of nights handling things on his own, the tough stuff."
Not anymore. Parker, who at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, towers over almost everyone in the NHL, will be on the enforcer beat from now on. He would like to be viewed as more than just a bruiser, but he understands his role.
"They needed a guy in my type of role, and I can bring that as well as play," said Parker, who the Avs acquired before Tuesday's trading deadline. "Stick me in front of the net; the goalies can't see, the (defense) can't crosscheck you or do what (Adam Foote) did back in the day. That's kind of the office."
Parker hasn't been in his office much this season. He played just 11 games with San Jose, and has only 22 penalty minutes to show for it. Starting tonight in Chicago, where the Avs begin a five-game road trip, he gets to show Quenneville that he can be a complete hockey player.
"As far as how much ice time he gets, we'll see how comfortable we are with him in situations, knowing primarily I'm not looking for him to be a producer," Quenneville said. "As long as he's dependable and reliable, that will determine his ice time."
Parker's first responsibility will be as a bodyguard to the skill players. Laperriere has done it all season, but he wasn't supposed to be the lone enforcer. Brad May was slotted for that duty, too, but a shoulder injury in training camp put him on the shelf for four months, and when he returned he was told by the doctors not to fight. Still, he was a presence, and when the Avs traded him to Anaheim on Tuesday, they quickly acquired Parker to fill the toughness void.
Parker says there is still a need for players like him.
"Fighting might be down, but I still think it's much needed," said Parker, sporting a long clump of hair off of his chin. "It definitely takes away from the liberties that you're taken on throughout the game. If you've got two big guys going out there, duking it out, everyone enjoys it and it calms everyone down."
Sometimes, he doesn't have to drop a glove to get a message across.
"If I can keep guys at bay by yelling at them or looking at them weird, it's good," he said. "Keep the knuckles going for a few more years."
One guy he won't have to fight is Laperriere, who says they did have a run-in a few years back. Laperriere, who stands 6-foot and weighs 200 pounds, said he didn't so much as fight Parker as he jumped on his back after Parker checked one of Laperriere's Los Angeles teammates.
There were obviously no hard feelings between the two as they joked after Wednesday's practice. Laperriere said there are rarely hard feelings between enforcers.
"Are you kidding me? We've got a job to do," he said. "I've gone out to dinner with guys the same night we fought. We know it's part of our game. If I don't do it, I lose my job."
He gladly gave up that job to Parker, who is glad to be back in Colorado, where he helped the Avs win the 2001 Stanley Cup.
"His excitement about being here in Colorado is great," Quenneville said. "It'll help the room, too. He's a good teammate. Lappy was out there a lot of nights on his own. That will help that area, too."