Ian Laperriere Is Still A Presence For Flyers
(from Philadelphia Sports Daily)
By Stephen Whyno
Philadelphia Sports Daily
February 13, 2011 - At the Flyers' practice facility in Voorhees, N.J., each player has a dedicated stall in the locker room - a place to sit, a place to put his equipment. Just like every NHL locker room.
One glance around the Flyers' room reveals all the usual suspects - the goalies on one side, captain Mike Richards and Jeff Carter along the far wall and the defensemen along the other. But among them is a locker dedicated to a player who hasn't played in one game this regular season: Ian Laperriere.
Laperriere's locker stall is stationed between Sean O'Donnell's and Andreas Nodl's, and the tough guy's equipment still sits in its place, ready for him to suit up and step into the Flyers lineup. But everyone in the room knows that may never happen, as Laperriere deals with post-concussion symptoms that robbed him of the ability to live his normal life, let alone play every night.
But there his nameplate remains - and will remain.
"He's still part of the team," general manager Paul Holmgren said recently. "Right now, obviously he's injured and his chances of coming back this year are probably not pretty good, but we'll see. He's still part of our team."
Officially, Laperriere is still on the Flyers' roster, on long-term injured reserve. He's around the rink every once in a while, but there's little chance he'll ever suit up again.
And while there may be no other reason for keeping his locker intact than the fact that he's still part of the team, there's a deeper meaning that the Flyers draw from seeing Laperriere's name every day when they step on and off the ice.
"I think it is kind of just another example of this organization and how they don't forget about people and we're still holding out hope that maybe Lappy can come back, but if he can't, we know that he's there with us in spirit," O'Donnell said.
"[It's special] to have him beside us, even if physically he can't be here, to know that he would give anything to have one more shift with us, he's right there with us every game."
Laperriere's sacrifice and struggle is something all Flyers players and fans still recognize and appreciate. When he was shown on the Wells Fargo Center video screen Thursday night - even in an advertisement focused on his kids - Laperriere drew an ovation from the crowd.
It's hard to forget the image of Laperriere blocking a shot vs. the Devils with his face during last year's playoffs, suffering the concussion on the play. Laperriere sustained some brain damage and had to fight through symptoms to play in the Stanley Cup Finals.
"He'll sacrifice anything - his body, obviously his face, his teeth - everything - to block a shot to win a hockey game," Scott Hartnell said. "For us to follow in his footsteps, his stuff's there - you don't forget guys like that."
Laperriere does get a chance to hang around and chat with his former teammates and new arrivals from time to time. So his presence is more than just a locker that serves as a daily reminder. And while he's around, Laperriere notices that his locker is still there.
"I see it. I'm around the practice rink and in the locker room," he said. "It's nice. I'm not there half of the time, but I'm excited that they still keep me around with all my equipment."
Peter Laviolette wasn't involved in the decision-making process to keep Laperriere's locker as is, Holmgren said, but the Flyers coach certainly understands the inspirational effect.
"Think about what he did for us," Laviolette said. "He provided energy and a locker room presence. He could change the game by going over the boards in two seconds. He did it at least a half-dozen times or more for us."
As Holmgren said, how can anyone not appreciate Laperriere's sacrifice?
"It gives me goose bumps just talking about what he did for our team last year," he said. "I would think the guys that lived through it with him and witnessed it first-hand - were on the ice and on the bench with him - it certainly is an emotional, uplifting thing."
Laperriere hasn't been able to do anything on the ice since he played in one preseason game for the Flyers back in September. Soon after that, he admitted he was still feeling post-concussion symptoms, and he stepped away indefinitely.
He was able to watch Thursday's game against the Hurricanes from a seat in the press box on the night his sons, Tristan and Zachary, played in the Mites on Ice game between the first and second periods. But indoor light remains the biggest problem as he tries to live a normal life following the head injury last spring.
"It's my biggest issue right now," Laperriere said. "Other than that I can work out in the gym - I'm fine, I have no problem with that. When I'm in the building with a lot of lights, that's when they kinda throw me off a bit."
When Laperriere first announced this past fall that he was still dealing with post-concussion symptoms and wouldn't be able to play, there was a concern that the Flyers would have a major void. He's a heart-and-soul type of player - and was the pulse of the team.
But that hasn't been a problem. In the locker room, guys like Jody Shelley have stepped into the role. On the ice, guys like Darroll Powe and Blair Betts have been blocking shots and following in Laperriere's footsteps.
Shelley said he doesn't consciously think about trying to fill in for Laperriere's absence, but he attempts to do the same thing the injured winger did - understand the pulse of the team.
"You just try to fill a role of an older guy that's gonna, I guess, do what he did: Work hard, give your all, and put the team first," Shelley said. "And if you can find it in a player or two, that's a great thing to have in a room. He definitely filled that hole probably in the ideal way for his whole career and especially last year. That's the role you wanna have guys fill, for sure."
So while Laperriere battles in his fight against post-concussion symptoms, the Flyers are moving on - but not without a daily reminder of what he did for them, thanks to a nameplate that is more than just symbolic.
"He's part of our team," Holmgren said. "Until he tells us he's done."