Ian Laperriere Quote Book
2007 - 2008
Quotes From Lappy
"...Smitty is our top player, just like Joe, and we got to show him that he doesn't need to do that. If he wants to do that, and I can score 40 goals a year, I'll be happy to trade him. But that's not going to happen."
On fighting Mitch Love in training camp to remind Ryan Smyth that he will be handling his dirty work - September 17, 2007 - Denver Post
"He's so mature for his age. I played with his dad and I know his mom, and I know where all that is coming from. When he has a good game or a bad game, he's always the same. It's very rare at that age. When young guys have a bad game, they're usually very down. Paul is the same all the time. He's got that rare gift to put things behind him and let his talent and confidence take over."
On Paul Stastny - September 30, 2007 - Denver Post
"At the end of the day, your best penalty killer is your goalie. If you look at the stats in the past 100 years for the best PK, look at the goalie and the goalie had a good season or a great season. I hate putting pressure on those guys, but that's the way it is."
October 3, 2007 - Rocky Mountain News
"That's why I came here, because I know they do everything they can every summer to win. We want to win right now. Not making it last year was probably the most disappointed I've been in my career. This organization doesn't want to miss its shot this year, and that's why they went out and signed those guys."
October 3, 2007 - Denver Post
"You knew he would do anything to win. That's why I wanted to come here. He's a tough negotiator, but once you play for him, he does everything in his power to help you win and everything is first class. I think it makes people want to play so hard here, because you know he's working as hard or harder on the other end for you."
On Pierre Lacroix - October 11, 2007 - Denver Post
"I've jumped on the Rockies' bandwagon with the best of them...But my ankles aren't sprained."
Admitting he's not a baseball fan - October 15, 2007 - Denver Post
"We were trying to look back at him as if to say 'Oh, no, we're not crying.' Everybody was holding back tears. I had tears in my eyes. We're all big babies down deep. I had tears in my eyes and I'm not shy to say it."
After the Oilers' tribute to Ryan Smyth - October 24, 2007 - Edmonton Sun
"Smitty was crying and we were trying not to do the same, watching from the bench. I almost needed a hug myself."
Joking about the Oilers' tribute to Ryan Smyth - October 31, 2007 - The Detroit News
"Andrew doesn't get any slower because I don't think he can get any slower...But, at the end of the day, I don't care if the guy is fast...just if he can play with the puck. Andrew's always put numbers up. He's unbelievable. Now playing with him, seeing him every day, I see how good he is."
On Andrew Brunette's not being affected by age - November 6, 2007 - Calgary Herald
"If anyone wants to play until he's 45 or 50, I think Joe is the next best candidate. He has the work ethic and the skill to do so... You'd think a guy with over 1,600 points has nothing to prove. It's in his head that if he wants to keep playing he needs to be on top of his game. By doing what he does extra, that's the way he's going to stick around."
On Joe Sakic - November 9, 2007 - The Canadian Press
"Our dream's not to rehab and watch your team play. Our dream is to play hockey and help your team win. I couldn't do that the last road trip (Nov. 16-22), and it was painful."
November 30, 2007 - Rocky Mountain News
"If it's a good period, you talk about just keeping it going, and identifying what we did right. If it's a bad period, there might be some trips to the coach's office to go over some video and you might get a nice verbal spanking from the coach himself. But the players, we are always talking about the game between periods. Mostly, you loosen your skates a little and just get off your feet. The time seems to go so fast. Maybe it doesn't seem that way for the fans, but it does for us."
On what goes on in the locker room in between periods - December 26, 2007 - Denver Post
"It's something Stastny has got in him. He's a lot like Joe. He's a leader who doesn't scream and yell in the locker room, but goes out and works hard every night. But when something needs to be said, Stastny is not afraid to say it. It's very rare at age 21 or 22 to be mature in that way. You either have got it or you don't. And he's got it."
December 30, 2007 - Denver Post
"That's one guy that understands that you need to play the same game up here that you did down there. Sometimes these young kids come up and think that since they're in the NHL, they need to change their game. Cody came here and plays the same game. That's what we need. That's why he got called up. He fits right in."
On Cody McLeod and his physical game - January 1, 2008 - Denver Post
"Everybody needs to play better. Not one guy can take Joe's spot and we all know that and the hockey world knows that. Everybody needs to do a little bit more leadership-wise and at the end of the day, nobody can be Joe Sakic. We need to be a little bit more responsible out there and do the things that Joe would do."
January 3, 2008 - Pueblo Chieftain
"They've been doing it all year, but it's not fair to ask them, 'OK, you'll be Joe tonight and you'll be Ryan tonight.' You just can't ask those guys to be Joe or Ryan. Those guys (Sakic and Smyth) have been in the league for years. They are part of the future, for sure, and they are making steps to be players like Joe and Ryan, but they're not close to being in the same category. We have to do it as a team. That's the only way we can do it. We need to play a good team game, good defensive game, and wait for our opportunities."
On players such as Wolski and Svatos - January 5, 2008 - Rocky Mountain News
"It's funny, everybody says, 'Make a trade.' OK, well, where is Joe Sakic No. 2?"
On Colorado's injury situation - January 5, 2008 - Rocky Mountain News
"Question: If you could trade places with any person in history for a single day, who would it be and why?
Ian Laperriere: Bono from U2. He goes out of his way as far as humanitarian work goes. It's not for money or attention, because he has plenty of that due to his music. He does so many great things around the world and goes out of his way to help people. That's remarkable for a person who has everything in life."
February 15, 2008 - ColoradoAvalanche.com
"It's happening around the league and it's very disrespectful. It's a battle, one guy against another guy, and sometimes when guys go down you see those young guys keep punching. I just told him, 'You shouldn't do that,' and he understands exactly where I was coming from."
After Mathieu Roy continued punching once Laperriere was down on the ice - February 25, 2008 - Rocky Mountain News
"Unbelievable – 1,000 points is unbelievable, so 1,000 assists is unbelievable. And how normal he stays with the greatness he's got? He's got nothing to prove in this league. He could be cocky, he could be big-headed, and he would get away with it because of what he's done. But he's not like that. He's not even close to that. That's how special the guy is, you know. He's just a Regular Joe. No circus around him. He doesn't want that. He just wants to be a normal guy. The great ones in other sports, sometimes they're tough to approach. But this guy? He's just a regular guy."
On Joe Sakic - March 21, 2008 - Calgary Herald
"No, I think he was trying to knock me out."
When asked if he was trying to knock Marian Gaborik out of the shoot-out with their fight at the end of overtime - April 8, 2008 - Pioneer Press
"I don't know. I was looking up at his calf."
When asked what the view was like when looking up at 6-feet-7 Derek Boogaard's face, as he did in Game 3 - April 16, 2008 - Denver Post
"He didn't say anything to us (about retiring). I'd be the worst person to tell – I'd tell everybody. He's still got a lot of hockey left in him. Hopefully for everybody in Denver, he'll be back."
On the possibility of Joe Sakic's retirement - May 2, 2008 - Longmont Times-Call
"Tony's got that fire. Personally, it was great for me. I felt like he was backing me up because Babcock was sending Downey after me every shift and Tony just lost it. I felt like he had my back, and that was great."
On Tony Granato's argument with Red Wings' coach Mike Babcock earlier in the season - May 22, 2008 - Rocky Mountain News