Ian Laperrière (born January 19, 1974) is a

Canadian-American Canadian Americans is a term that can be applied to American citizens whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian, or citizens of either country that hold dual citizenship. The term ''Canadian'' can mean a nationality or an ethnicity. Canadia ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

winger who played 16 seasons in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) and serves as the current head coach for the

Lehigh Valley Phantoms The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are a professional ice hockey team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The team competes in the American Hockey League (AHL) and serves as the primary development team for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey L ...

, the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

affiliate and primary development team for the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...

of the NHL. Laperrière spent nine seasons of his NHL career with the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

and also played with the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

, and

prior to his 2012 retirement.

Playing career

As a youth, Laperrière played in the 1988

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

with a

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...

team from

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

. Laperrière played in the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The ...

(QMJHL) from 1990 to 1993 and was drafted by the

of the NHL in the seventh round and pick number 158 in the 1992 draft. He made his NHL debut with the Blues on March 3, 1994. On December 8, 1995, he was traded to the

for Stéphane Matteau. On March 14, 1996, he was traded with

Ray Ferraro Raymond Vincent Ferraro (born August 23, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and currently broadcaster for ESPN/ ABC and formerly of TSN. He played for 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Hartford Whaler ...

Mattias Norström Erik Johan Mattias "Notan" Norström (born 2 January 1972) is a Swedish retired professional ice hockey defenceman, currently working for the AIK organization. Norström began his National Hockey League career with the New York Rangers. However, ...

, Nathan LaFayette, and a draft pick to the

in exchange for

Jari Kurri Jari Pekka Kurri (; born May 18, 1960) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey winger and a five-time Stanley Cup champion. In 2001, he became the first Finnish player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017 Kurri was named on ...

Marty McSorley Martin James McSorley (born May 18, 1963) is a Canadian former professional hockey player, who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 until 2000. A versatile player, he was able to play both the forward and defense positions. A for ...

and Shane Churla. Laperrière was a mainstay on the Kings roster from 1996 until 2004. On July 2, 2004, Laperrière signed a free agent contract with the Colorado Avalanche. Laperrière, affectionately known as 'Lappy' to his fans, was an immediate success with Colorado in the

2005–06 NHL season The 2005–06 NHL season was the 89th season of operation (88th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season succeeded the 2004–05 season which had all of its scheduled games canceled due to a labor dispute with the Natio ...

, posting the best points totals of his career. He scored 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points, far ahead of his previous bests of 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in the lockout-shortened

1994–95 NHL season The 1994–95 NHL season was the 78th regular season of the National Hockey League. The teams played a shortened season, due to a lockout of the players by the owners. In addition, the NHL All-Star Game, which had been scheduled to take place ...

. He quickly became a favorite with the Avalanche fans. Laperrière scored the 100th goal of his career on October 29, 2006, against the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

. He also passed 800 career games on November 28, against the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

in a 5–2 loss. On April 1, 2009, Laperrière fought with David Hale of the Phoenix Coyotes for his 52nd hockey fight in an Avalanche jersey, passing

Scott Parker Scott Matthew Parker (born 13 October 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the head coach of Club Brugge in Belgium. Parker began his career at Charlton Athletic, and ...

in all-time franchise fighting majors. He was announced as the Avalanches' Masterton Trophy nominee for the 2008–09 season on April 3, 2009. He played in his 1000th NHL game on April 11, 2009, against the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

in a 0–1 home overtime loss. He led the team that year with 163 penalty minutes, just one more minute than

Cody McLeod Wesley Cody McLeod (born June 26, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger currently serving as a player development coach for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. As an undrafted player, McLeod previously played i ...

. Unable to agree to a new deal with the Avalanche, Laperrière signed a three-year contract with the

on July 1, 2009. On November 27, 2009, Laperrière was hit with a slapshot in the mouth while killing a penalty at the end of the first period against the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

. He sat out the second period receiving between 50 and 100 stitches but returned for the third period. He also played the following night against the Atlanta Thrashers. Laperrière lost seven teeth resulting from the incident (two fake and five real). A similar event occurred during the

2010 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 14, 2010, after the 2009–10 NHL regular season. The Finals ended on June 9, 2010, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games to ...

on April 22. Laperrière was hit in the face near the end of a New Jersey

power play Power play or powerplay or their plurals may refer to: Sports * Power play (sporting term), a sporting term used in various games * Powerplay (cricket), a rule concerning fielding restrictions in one-day international cricket * Power play (cur ...

, resulting in an orbital injury, and a mild concussion. Laperrière was listed as out indefinitely and his return to the playoffs was considered unlikely. However, after missing the Flyers second round series versus the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

, he returned for game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

. In the May 2010 edition of ''The Hockey News'', Laperrière was awarded THN's John Ferguson Award for "Toughest Player in the NHL" in the 2009–10 season.

Post-playing career

NHL retirement

During training camp in September 2010, Laperrière experienced symptoms of

post-concussion syndrome Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) is a set of symptoms that may continue for weeks, months, or a year or more after a concussion – medically classified as a so-called mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). About 34 to 35% of people with concussi ...

and nerve damage to his eyes from being hit in the face twice by pucks the previous season. He was then out for the entire 2010–11 season after being put on injured reserve before the season began and then on long-term injured reserve in mid-December to free up salary cap space. Doctors advised Laperrière to retire, although he did not do so at the time. The move was repeated again for the season to free up cap space when Laperrière's symptoms still had not subsided. His number 14 was reissued to rookie Sean Couturier. Despite never playing again after the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, Laperrière continued to serve the Flyers off the ice as a mentor to younger players in the organization and in other capacities. For that, Laperrière was awarded the 2011 Bill Masterton Trophy for his perseverance in the sport of hockey. Laperrière officially retired June 12, 2012.

Philadelphia Flyers

On June 29, 2012, Laperrière was named director of player development for the

. The following year, in 2013, he also began serving as an assistant coach for the Flyers.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach

On June 5, 2021, Laperrière was named head coach of the

, the

affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and the primary development team for the Flyers..

Personal life

Laperrière is married to Magali and has two sons: Tristan, born in March 2002, and Zachary, born in April 2004. He was sworn in as a naturalized American citizen on August 30, 2011, in a ceremony in

Mount Laurel, New Jersey Mount Laurel is a township in Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia and part of the South Jersey region. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 41,864, reflecting an increase of 1 ...

. Following his retirement from hockey, he turned his attention to

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...

completing the Ironman North American Championship at Mont-Tremblant (Quebec) in 12 hours, 11 minutes, 55 seconds on August 19, 2013. He also ran the Philadelphia Marathon in 2012. Laperrière and his family live in

Haddonfield, New Jersey :''Not the fictional Illinois town from the Halloween film series.'' Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 11,593,

Films

In 2005, Laperrière portrayed

Hall of Famer Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion in '' The Rocket'', a film about the life of Maurice Richard who played with the Canadians from 1942–1960. In 2012, Laperrière appeared in the movie ''

This Is 40 ''This Is 40'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Judd Apatow and starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. A " sort-of sequel" to Apatow's 2007 film '' Knocked Up'', the movie centers on married couple Pete (Rudd) and Debb ...

'' alongside

Scott Hartnell Scott Wesley Hartnell (born April 18, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Hartnell ...

James van Riemsdyk James van Riemsdyk ( ; born May 4, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Between 2012 and 2018, he played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Van Riemsdyk w ...

, and Matt Carle.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Laperriere, Ian 1974 births Living people Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winners Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian ice hockey right wingers Colorado Avalanche players Drummondville Voltigeurs players French Quebecers Ice hockey people from Montreal Los Angeles Kings players New York Rangers players People from Haddonfield, New Jersey People with acquired American citizenship Peoria Rivermen (IHL) players Philadelphia Flyers coaches Philadelphia Flyers players St. Louis Blues draft picks St. Louis Blues players Worcester IceCats players Canadian ice hockey coaches