Ian Laperriere Press Box
2005 - 2006
Ian Turns on Power (Rocky Mountain News)
September 17, 2005 - "Ian Laperriere was laughing as he described the power-play goal he scored late in the third period Friday night in the Colorado Avalanche's Burgundy and White game at Magness Arena..."
Avs Down Kings In OT (Denver Post)
September 25, 2005 - "The buzz during Saturday's morning skate was the night's promised fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Not between sanctioned boxers, but between Avalanche newcomer Ian Laperriere and Los Angeles Kings forward Sean Avery..."
Avery's Lip A Disservice? (Rocky Mountain News)
September 29, 2005 - "Ian Laperriere would like nothing more than to suit up for the Colorado Avalanche's preseason game tonight against the Los Angeles Kings at the Pepsi Center. Especially if Kings forward Sean Avery is on the ice..."
Avery's Remark Irks Laperriere (Denver Post)
September 29, 2005 - "Ian Laperriere would like to make a French connection with Sean Avery's jaw. Laperriere, an Avalanche forward, wouldn't mind having his fist make the connection after Avery's latest controversial comments regarding French-Canadian hockey players..."
Former King Gets Some Measure of Vengeance (LA Daily News)
October 20, 2005 - "Almost every time he skated past one end of the ice Wednesday morning, Colorado's Ian Laperriere tapped the glass with his stick or smiled at some member of the Kings organization who was passing time watching the Avalanche's morning skate..."
Laperriere Scores Twice Against Former Team (LA Times)
October 20, 2005 - "Ian Laperriere's first game of the season was nothing special, he said. All Laperriere did was score two goals. He then watched his Colorado Avalanche blow a three-goal lead in a 5-4 loss to the Kings..."
Laperriere Happy To Be Dethroned (TheFourthPeriod.com)
October 21, 2005 - "Colorado Avalanche right wing, Ian Laperriere, celebrated his 700th NHL game by scoring two goals against his former team the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. His first goal, nine minutes into the first period, was the first of the evening, and his first in the Avalanche sweater..."
Avs Pack Some Punch (Rocky Mountain News)
October 27, 2005 - "...Laperriere, who has recorded three goals and as many assists in the past five games, converted Brunette's behind-the-net pass at 12:32 for what proved to be the winner. Laperriere celebrated a little more than usual after the goal, saying later: 'I had a little too much butter on my toast.' "
Laperriere's Breakaway Goal In OT Lifts Avs (Rocky Mountain News)
October 29, 2005 - "Ian Laperriere scored on a breakaway in overtime Saturday to lift the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-3 victory over Vancouver on another no-win night for Todd Bertuzzi and the Canucks..."
Laperriere OT Hero For Avalanche (CBC Sports)
October 30, 2005 - "Ian Laperriere beat Vancouver Canucks goalie Alex Auld on a breakaway two minutes into overtime Saturday to give the Colorado Avalanche their third straight win..."
Avs Earn Some Revenge -- A Sweep (Colorado Springs Gazette)
October 30, 2005 - "Had Colorado hockey fans been offered the choice of seeing the Avalanche batter Todd Bertuzzi, or vanquish Vancouver twice in three nights, it's questionable which they would have preferred. It was apparent, though, from the explosion of joy from 18,007 spectators at the Pepsi Center on Saturday night that Ian Laperriere's breakaway goal 1:55 into overtime, giving the Avs a 4- 3 victory and a sweep of their back-to-back set with the Canucks, will do for now..."
Weekend Sweep Is Sweet For Avs (Denver Post)
October 30, 2005 - "...'This was huge,' Laperriere said of the win, which came on a night when the Canucks' Todd Bertuzzi again was relentlessly booed, but was the most effective player on the ice for much of the game. 'If we lose this game,' added Laperriere, 'the last one didn't mean anything. We knew they would come harder, and they did, but we responded.' "
Laperriere Becoming More Goal-Oriented (Rocky Mountain News)
November 2, 2005 - "It was after midnight in Montreal, but 91-year-old Paul Laperriere was wide awake in front of his television as the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks skated in overtime. A Montreal Canadiens season-ticket holder for more than 25 years, Laperriere recently adopted the Avalanche as his favorite team. Blood is thicker than frozen water, and Laperriere's was about to boil with pride..."
Avs Storm Out to Early Lead (Canadian Press)
November 11, 2005 - "Ian Laperriere knew a four-goal lead wasn't going to be enough against the Vancouver Canucks. Laperriere, and the rest of the Colorado Avalanche, heaved a sigh of relief when Karlis Skrastins scored a shorthanded goal midway through the third period to give the Avs a 5-3 win Thursday night that snapped Vancouver's seven-game home unbeaten streak..."
Laperriere Returns (Press Enterprise)
November 15, 2005 - "The Kings and Colorado Avalanche still have games to play before they meet at Staples Center on Saturday, but former Kings forward Ian Laperriere is already wondering about his return to Los Angeles..."
L.A. Return 'Weird' for Laperriere (Rocky Mountain News)
November 19, 2005 - "When reflecting upon his decision to leave the Los Angeles Kings, Ian Laperriere has only one regret..."
Laperriere Gets Royal Welcome (Denver Post)
November 20, 2005 - "Avalanche right wing Ian Laperriere was given a warm reception Saturday night in his first game back in Los Angeles..."
Avs' Laperriere Filling Some Big Shoes (Edmonton Journal)
November 30, 2005 - "Who knew when the Colorado Avalanche slid Ian Laperriere into Peter Forsberg's old locker stall, he'd take it to heart and give them offence along with PIMs? Who knew that Laperriere, one of the NHL's most honest workers, would have as many goals right now as Avs captain Joe Sakic? Nobody. Not even Laperriere..."
A Winning Formula (Rocky Mountain News)
November 30, 2005 - "...Yet as much as Sakic scoring a winning goal generates headlines the way "dog bites man" does, the same can't be said for Ian Laperriere or Antti Laaksonen, without whom Tuesday's victory wouldn't have been possible..."
Annoying Avery The King of Talk (Ottawa Sun)
December 13, 2005 - "Ian Laperriere is no fan of Los Angeles Kings showboat Sean Avery. The Colorado Avalanche winger, who played with Avery in Los Angeles, told the Sun yesterday he thinks the Kings winger is making a fool of himself with his loud mouth and the way he acts off the ice."
Avery Ignores Laperriere Ploy (Denver Post)
December 29, 2005 - "The war of words between Avalanche winger Ian Laperriere and Los Angeles Kings pest Sean Avery heated up again after Wednesday's game - with Avery doing the talking... "
Laperriere Sparks Avs Past Coyotes 5-2 (Associated Press)
January 1, 2006 - "Ian Laperriere thought hard work was all Colorado needed to get out of a slump. He was right..."
Laperriere Delivers (Denver Post)
January 12, 2006 - "When Ian Laperriere was a kid, a goal that beat his beloved Montreal Canadiens in the waning minutes of regulation would have been cause for a sulky walk back to his room, maybe even a tear or two. Now his paychecks are signed by Stan Kroenke, and Laperriere's goal that beat the Canadiens on Wednesday night sent the veteran Avalanche forward to his knees in joy..."
Avs Can Explain Power Outage (Rocky Mountain News)
February 6, 2006 - "Ian Laperriere has a message for anyone who hit the panic button after watching the Colorado Avalanche's power-play units commit turnovers, struggle to set up and fail to control the puck during Saturday's shutout loss against the Detroit Red Wings: Chill out..."
Road To Playoffs Starts Tonight (Rocky Mountain News)
March 4, 2006 - "Colorado heads into a crucial part of the season tonight, but Avalanche wing Ian Laperriere was lighthearted about the challenge...'I eat more on the road, that might be the only difference,' Laperriere joked..."
Laperriere Feels For His Former Coach (Denver Post)
March 23, 2006 - "One of the things the Avalanche did on its California road trip was help get a coach fired. About 23 hours after the Avs routed Los Angeles 5-0 on Monday at the Staples Center - punctuated by some booing of the home team - the Kings fired longtime coach Andy Murray..."
Lapping It Up (TheFourthPeriod.com)
March 28, 2006 - "The second largest ovation on Adam Deadmarsh Night was reserved for a Colorado Avalanche player. While it might surprise an outsider that a hated rival would get such adulation, followers of the Kings knew that Ian Laperriere would get a huge cheer as he still resonates in many of the Los Angeles' faithful hearts..."
Inching Ahead (Longmont Daily Times-Call)
April 9, 2006 - "Ian Laperriere dropped to his knees as the Pepsi Center crowd erupted in joy. The Colorado forward had a lot to celebrate after hitting the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career, atoning for a mistake on St. Louis' first-period goal, and getting rewarded for a hard-working shift..."
Colorado Forward Surprises Coach With His Offense (The Gazette)
April 14, 2006 - "When the Colorado Avalanche signed veteran forward Ian Laperriere this past summer, the team envisioned him playing 'that feisty role,' according to coach Joel Quenneville's preseason assessment..."
Laperriere's Strong Season Has Been Rocket-Fueled (Rocky Mtn News)
April 17, 2006 - "When Ian Laperriere was tabbed to play the role of Hall of Famer Bernie 'Boom Boom' Geoffrion in the film The Rocket, little could the Colorado Avalanche forward have known that some of the former Montreal Canadiens star's scoring prowess would rub off on him..."
Stop, Drop and Block (Denver Post)
April 23, 2006 - "With a mashed nose and a scarred head, Ian Laperriere laughed at the grisly irony of his hockey hard looks. One of the game's top shot blockers didn't get that mug by taking pucks off the face. 'Obviously, that's tough to believe,' he said with a smirk. 'I've never been hit there...' "
Tanguay Both Good, Lucky (Denver Post)
April 27, 2006 - "Ian Laperriere jumped into Alex Tanguay's already upraised arms. Even amid the celebratory din, Tanguay was close enough to Laperriere to make himself heard. 'I'd rather be lucky than good, I guess,' Tanguay said. Responded Laperriere: 'I hate you for that. You're both.' "
Expect A Facelift For Avalanche Next Season (San Jose Mercury News)
May 13, 2006 - "Sitting in the somber Avalanche dressing room late Thursday night, Colorado forward Ian Laperriere was forced to take a double shot of reality..."