10-9-2010 Ian Laperriere story for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Concussion symptoms may force Laperriere to retire

Atlantic

Written by Denis Gorman

Saturday, October 09, 2010 00:00

The agitator extraordinaire revealed that he failed a recent round of post-concussion tests. It would be a sad ending to a fine career – but not surprising that an aggressive play on the ice would be his downfall. The night is April 22, 2010 and the place is Newark’s Prudential Center. It is the third period of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series between the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils, and Ian Laperriere and his Flyers teammates are finishing up what would be a series-clinching 3-0 win. As he had throughout his 16-year NHL career, Laperriere was playing a gritty game and an honest series. AROUND THE ATLANTIC The Flyers had tightened up their game and did not want the potent Devils' offense, led by Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise and Patrik Elias, to think they have an opportunity to get back in the game. If the Devils win, they would trail three games to two despite only playing one playoff-caliber game. Life begets confidence. Another win and there would be a Game 7 and … too many things could happen. That is why the Flyers needed to close out the Devils. New Jersey defenseman Paul Martin accepted a pass at the point and began to skate towards the middle of the ice. Laperriere eyed him and followed. Martin stopped and lifted his stick. Laperriere began to slide onto the ice. Martin’s stick met the puck. The small, round piece of vulcanized rubber exploded into the air. Laperriere was laying on his side. The puck hurtled through the Newark night towards Laperriere. The right wing did not have a visor attached to his helmet. What happened next was enough to make observers sick. Puck met flesh and bone. The puck bounced off of Laperriere’s face – already scarred from years of fights and sticks and blocked shots – but not before opening a cut over his right eye. Laperriere scrambled to his feet, bent over at the waist and skated to center ice, a frightful amount of blood trailing him. Immediately after the game there are rumors that the cut needed 60 stitches. Exactly one month later, in his hometown of Montreal, Laperriere returned to the Flyers' lineup wearing a full facemask to help his teammates get past the surprising eighth-seeded Canadiens and into the Stanley Cup Final. He played in two games – both wins, by an aggregate 7-2 margin – and Philadelphia was playing Chicago for the Stanley Cup. Laperriere played in all six games of the Finals. But was it worth it? Not as gifted as Wayne Gretzky, Laperriere made a career by throwing his body around like a heat-seeking missile, offering less-than-flattering opinions of opponents and, when the need arose, trading fists. It was never glamorous work, but an important job, especially on winning teams. In mid-September, Laperriere failed a conditioning test due to post-concussion symptoms suffered on April 22 and admitted to reporters that he should not have played that night. Three weeks following that group discussion, Laperriere told The Courier-Post that two doctors advised him to retire; one stated that the puck damaged the nerve around the eye. “If this is it, I had a hell of a run. I played a long time and played a lot of games and met a lot of nice people,” the newspaper quoted Laperriere as having said. “It is what it is and I wouldn’t change anything.” Laperriere is the latest NHLer to experience long-term aftereffects from concussions. Florida’s David Booth was sidelined for months after the Flyers' Mike Richards elbowed him in the head early last season. Boston center Marc Savard failed his conditioning test because of the post-concussion symptoms he experienced months after Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke’s skate-by elbow, like Laperriere, and also said he should not have played in the Bruins’ playoff run. Notes The New York Rangers announced that Derek Stepan won the franchise’s Lars-Erik Sjoberg award for the best rookie in training camp. … The Record of Hackensack’s New Jersey Devils blog, Fire and Ice, reported earlier this week that Bryce Salvador and Anssi Salmela were placed on Long Term Injured Reserve. The newspaper reports that the team will start the season with 20 players and is only $35,000 under the salary cap. … Pittsburgh Penguins center Jordan Staal is out an indeterminate period of time because of infection in his right foot. Staal initially injured the foot when Montreal rookie defenseman P.K. Subban stepped on it. … Matt Moulson told the Associated Press that he hopes to “score two goals in every game” after the Islanders’ 4-3 preseason loss to the Devils in Newark last Friday night. Twitter: @DenisGorman All photos courtesy of Getty Images

http://www.hockeyprimetime.com/news/atlantic/concussion-symptoms-may-force-laperriere-to-retire