Tough Enough
Laperriere Does Avs' Dirty Work
(from the Colorado Springs Gazette)
By Brian Gomez
The Gazette
February 27, 2007 - DENVER - Before Colorado Avalanche games, Ian Laperriere follows a simple routine.
He stretches near center ice. He goes through passing drills with his teammates. He takes several slap shots and a couple of wrist shots.
By the time Laperriere retreats to the locker room, he has sized up the competition. He has read the names on opposing players' jerseys and identified the potential troublemakers.
"All right, who is out there? Who wants me?" Laperriere said he thinks over and over during warm-ups.
Laperriere willingly has become the Avalanche's designated fighter, the player who drops his gloves when a teammate gets checked from behind, shoved in front of the net or withstands a cheap shot.
In 63 games, Laperriere, an alternate captain and fourth-line right wing, has taken a league-high 15 fighting majors, three more than he had in 82 games last season. Mark Rycroft is the only other Avalanche player who has drawn a fighting major.
At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Laperriere, 33, typically is smaller and older than the players he fights. He has tussled with 6-foot-3, 210-pound defenseman Dion Phaneuf, 21, of Calgary, 6-2, 225-pound left wing Ryane Clowe, 24, of San Jose and 6-3, 228-pound right wing Zachery Stortini, 21, of Edmonton.
Most times, Laperriere holds his own, relying on body positioning and quick punches to the face. Sometimes his opponent makes him look his age.
"I'm the only one. It's like I've got a piece of meat attached to my back," Laperriere said of his "fighting assignment" for the Avalanche. "I'm not complaining. I know it's part of my job. Would I welcome help? For sure."
Laperriere believed he would receive help in that department from forwards Brad May, Cody McCormick and George Parros.
May missed the first 53 games after undergoing reconstructive shoulder surgery; Parros was traded to Anaheim in November; and McCormick was reassigned to the Albany (N.Y.) River Rats of the American Hockey League in December.
Fighting has caused Laperriere's offensive production to drop. Laperriere has five goals, 16 fewer than he had last season. His average ice time (13 minutes, 59 seconds) has decreased by more than three minutes.
"It's purely retaliation. I'm not a headhunter," Laperriere said of starting fights. "When I was younger, maybe I would fight to prove myself, prove to everybody that I could fight. Now I'm 33 years old. I don't need to do that.
"If one of my young teammates or one of our top players or anybody gets crushed or a cheap shot, I'll be the first one in. Those are good reasons to fight. Or if your team is soft and you want to get your team going, that's a good reason."
Coach Joel Quenneville said he appreciates Laperriere's eagerness to fight.
"That makes him the type of player that you want to have on your team," Quenneville said. "Absorbing a lot of that responsibility is a challenge. Lappy has been the one guy that has been accepting the responsibility, whether it's addressing certain situations or giving us the hits or talking or confronting or that energy on the bench."
Said Rycroft: "It gives the team a spark. It gives us a jump on the bench. Whenever you see a teammate stick up for another teammate, it can be a momentum swing and get the game in your favor."
Laperriere said he won't stop fighting as long as he stays healthy.
"I try to do everything," Laperriere said. "I'm leading the league in majors. That's not a plan I had before the year. But somebody has to do it."
CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazette.com