Laperriere Still Helping Flyers
(from phillyBurbs.com)
By Wayne Fish
phillyBurbs.com
March 27, 2011 - It's a time like this when the Flyers feel the absence of Ian Laperriere the most.
For the better part of a month, Philadelphia has been playing what might be called uninspired hockey - competing just enough to hold onto its leads in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division standings.
That's probably a natural tendency for talented teams put in this position; just play well enough to maintain an edge. Going into Saturday night's game at the Islanders, the Flyers had not lost in regulation time in their last seven (3-0-4) games but certainly hadn't picked up any style points along the way.
What seems to be missing is that desperate brand of hustle that lifted the team to a last-minute playoff berth and then a storybook journey through the playoffs.
Laperriere, sidelined this entire season by the fallout from a concussion suffered last year, was one of the prime motivators for the 2010 run.
He got fans at the Wells Fargo Center out of their seats with his head-first dives into point shooters' cannon blasts. He didn't wait for a fight to break out, he started one himself. And no one displayed more passion in the locker room.
Today, he's still on the payroll and doing what he can to help from the perimeter. He stops in and encourages young players. He makes goodwill appearances in the community. He's even become a hockey analyst on Comcast SportsNet broadcasts.
"I think it's good (that he's around)," coach Peter Laviolette said. "He's such a positive person. Any time his presence is around the room, the practice rink, you see him at games, I know I feel that way.
"I can't speak for everybody but I would think the players would feel the same way. He's an inspirational guy ... any time he's around, it's a positive."
Darroll Powe enjoys having Laperriere around just to lighten the mood.
"He was a guy who played with his heart on his sleeve," Powe said. "He's still 'Lappy,' still telling the same bad jokes. Obviously, at this point, it's just important for him to take care of life after hockey."
Publicly, Laperriere says he still holds out hope that he will play again. Privately, doctors have told him that his career is over.
Such a shame. While no player should have his career cut short and his overall health threatened, Laperriere is one of the game's really good guys, a favorite of teammates, fans and the media and easily could have played a couple more years.
No one is suggesting the Flyers play with the same reckless abandon that got Laperriere injured in the first place. But it wouldn't hurt to pull out some video footage of Laperriere's overall play and show it to the team.
Who knows? Maybe that would light a spark.