Life Without 'Lappy'
(from the Rocky Mountain News)
By Aaron J. Lopez
Rocky Mountain News
November 13, 2007 - The Avalanche dressing room was noticeably quieter Tuesday. Missing was the jovial, French accent of forward Ian Laperriere, one of the team's most talkative and well-liked players.
Laperriere is expected to miss three to four weeks after spraining his right knee Sunday against the Minnesota Wild. The initial timeline for his return was two to four weeks.
"A guy like that is such a big part of your locker room," said defenseman John-Michael Liles, who exchanged text messages with Laperriere on Monday. "He loves coming to the rink every day and when you come in, he makes your day better."
Laperriere, a key member of the Avalanche's penalty-killing unit, has two goals and four assists in 17 games. He also brought an element of toughness with his willingness to drop the gloves at any time.
"It's a big loss for us," forward Milan Hejduk said. "We have to win without him. We have plenty of talent still in this locker room and enough leadership, too."