Sitting Down With Ian Laperriere
(from the SportingNews.com)
By Ray Slover
Sporting News
November 3, 2006 - Ian Laperriere's nose goes every which direction but straight. These days Laperriere is sticking that crooked snout into things for the Colorado Avalanche. Now in his 13th season, he's still a disturber, mucker and grinder. A burr under opponents' saddles. That's one reason he had nine seasons with more than 100 penalty minutes. And he can score a bit, too, including a career-high 21 goals and 45 points in 2005-06.
Skinning out after Thursday's game against the Blues, Laperriere talked about his career, his team and his role as a salty old veteran. He plays right wing for a team that is in a bit of a makeover, having shed some of the players who were part of Stanley Cup teams and Northwest Division champions in recent seasons.
SN: Tell us a bit about the differences between the Avalanche this season and last.
Laperriere: We've got a few more young guys now, including Paul Statsny, Wojtek Wolski and Brad Richardson. It's a different mix, but the core is still here with Milan Hejduk and all those guys. They're still around, but it's a different team. That's what you expect with the salary cap.
SN: That means it's going to change every year for everybody. The Avs' goaltending looks like it should be in pretty good shape. Peter Budaj played tonight.
Laperriere: Peter's been playing well for two years, and we have Jose Theodore playing well, too. We have no problems there. Overall, this is a good team with young guys and veterans. We just need to find the chemistry to take the next step.
SN: You've been in the league since 1993-94. Did you ever imagine you'd be around this long?
Laperriere: You know what, I never think about it. I just go game-to-game. I know that sounds like a cliché, but I thought that in my first game and now I'm getting close to 800 (games played). I'm just happy to be playing every single game. I'm just having fun out there, even at 32, and I'll keep going as long as I can.
SN: You have a role as an assistant captain. How do you do it and how do you handle that kind of role?
Laperriere: I don't change anything. I was an assistant in Los Angeles, just like I am here. I just work hard and lead by example. That's what I do. I try to keep the guys loose in the room. Sometimes with young guys they get too tight, so my job is to loosen them up a bit.
SN: You've always been good at that. And you have a great captain, too.
Laperriere: We're all blessed to play with a guy like Joe Sakic. You don't come across too many guys in your career like him. Just the person he is on and off the ice, it's incredible.
SN: As you look around the Western Conference, it's loaded this season.
Laperriere: Well, it was last season, too. It's unbelievable, but it makes it interesting. It's fun for the fans and it's fun for us. We have to bring our "A" game every night. You never know what's going to happen. But that's what the Western Conference has been for the past several years. It makes for good hockey.