Kings Notebook: Laperriere Worries Friends
(from the Daily News)
By Matt McHale
Staff Writer
December 20, 2003 - EL SEGUNDO - Ian Laperriere spent the one-month anniversary of his concussion at the hospital.
Friday, Laperriere joined teammates for the club's annual Christmas visit to the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. He's at least a couple weeks away from returning and friends are concerned his condition might be more serious than first thought.
"I'm worried about him," former King and Laperriere roommate Stu Grimson said last week. "I think he is at a crossroads. I don't mean to make it sound bleak, but I think Lappy has to really start listening to his body."
Grimson retired last summer after waiting two years for postconcussion symptoms to lift. Grimson's problems did not stem from one hit but from the cumulative effects of many concussions during his long career.
Grimson and Laperriere have remained close and speak often on the phone. Grimson just finished his first semester of law school at the University of Memphis.
Laperriere, 29, has had five concussions in his career, including during Nov. 19 against Nashville at Staples Center. Typical of Laperriere's scrappy playing style, he appeared in three more games before coming out of the lineup.
Laperriere has been skating on an off since the injury. Kings coach Andy Murray said Laperriere is improving but knows he has seen too many concussions in the past two years - including one of his own - to read too much into positive or negative signs.
Adam Deadmarsh, sidelined for more than a year, has passed all concussion testing since December 2002 but has not skated or done conditioning since Nov. 11 when he was bumped by teammate Jozef Stumpel during practice.
Rookie Esa Pirnes has been sidelined for almost a month with a concussion. Unlike Laperriere, he has not skated at all.
--Shots on goal: Roman Cechmanek is expected back in goal tonight against Colorado after missing the past three games with an injured left hip. Cechmanek, who left the lineup Dec. 11 after a first-period collision with Nashville's David Legwand, has practiced the past two days.
--Quick whistles: Aaron Miller, who injured his neck Dec. 11 in Atlanta, has not shown improvement since Sunday when he was placed on injured reserve. Miller, who played just 49 games last season due to back and foot injuries, has been diagnosed with a pinched nerve in his neck.
John Tripp, who played eight games but did not record a point after getting called up Nov. 28 from minor-league Manchester, N.H., was sent down Friday. Kip Brennan (charley horse, left leg), was activated from the IR.