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Flyers' Laperriere wins Masterton Trophy

LAS VEGAS - Ian Laperriere's walk, from seat to stage at the Pearl Theater, was a long one. But the images, replayed during the introduction of the finalists, remained just as gruesome for the crowd at the NHL Awards in the Las Vegas Palms Casino and Resort as they did on April 22, 2010, when Laperriere stopped a frozen chunk of vulcanized rubber with his face.

Ian Laperriere poses with the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which he won at last night's NHL Awards. (Julie Jacobson/AP)
Ian Laperriere poses with the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which he won at last night's NHL Awards. (Julie Jacobson/AP)Read more

LAS VEGAS - Ian Laperriere's walk, from seat to stage at the Pearl Theater, was a long one.

But the images, replayed during the introduction of the finalists, remained just as gruesome for the crowd at the NHL Awards in the Las Vegas Palms Casino and Resort as they did on April 22, 2010, when Laperriere stopped a frozen chunk of vulcanized rubber with his face.

With blood pouring out of his eye socket, Laperriere asked trainer Jim McCrossin if his right eye was still there after diving to block a Paul Martin slap shot in the waning minutes of an already in-hand series-clinching win over the Devils in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Watching the tape again, with his family and friends in the stands, Laperriere didn't flinch.

He just needed to catch himself on-stage, a little overwhelmed as he collected the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy from former teammate Luc Robitaille.

"I have no bitterness, watching that clip," Laperriere said. "That's the way I am, that's the way I played. I am proud of blocking shots every game. It took me 16 years to get a puck to the face, and it just happened that I took two that year.

"I don't regret anything."

Blocking two pucks with his face - and returning to skate later in the 2010 Stanley Cup finals with his teammates - is just one of the reasons why Laperriere won the award for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport.

"It's the only way I could have ever won a trophy in the NHL," Laperriere joked. "Take two pucks to the face."

Laperriere became the first Flyer to win a major leaguewide award since Bill Barber collected the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year in 2001. He is the first Flyers player to win such an award since Eric Lindros hoisted the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1995.

"Lappy truly is a special individual," Flyers chairman Ed Snider said Tuesday; he was in attendance last night. "He represents everything that the Flyers are, and I am very proud of him."

The award is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. All 30 chapters submitted one nominee before the vote was whittled down to three finalists, each of which has worn a Flyers sweater at one point in their career: Laperriere, Ray Emery and Daymond Langkow.

Laperriere, 37, is the third Flyer to win the Masterton Trophy - after Bobby Clarke in 1972 and Tim Kerr in 1989 - since its inception in 1968.

Few players in the 44-year history of the Flyers organization, though, have endeared themselves to the city and its fans like Laperriere, who missed the entirety of this past season with postconcussion symptoms stemming from that blow to the face.

Laperriere is the first Masterton Award winner to have not played a single game in the season for which he was honored.

That's because Laperriere, rather than heading back to his native Canada to lay low, decided to assume an unofficial coaching and mentoring role with the Flyers. Starting in November, Laperriere began making trips around North America - including to Glens Falls, N.Y., and throughout Canada - to impart words of wisdom on the Phantoms and future prospects.

By April, Laperriere was running practices for the Flyers' scratches in the playoffs.

"Honestly, I was shocked to be recognized even when I didn't even play a game this year," Laperriere said on Sunday. "To be recognized as someone that is passionate about the game of hockey is really a great compliment."

Emery, who signed with Anaheim as a free agent on Feb. 7 after missing nearly 11 months because of an intense bone-graft surgery to repair a deteriorated hip bone, went 7-2-0 with a 2.28 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in 10 games. He was diagnosed with avascular necrosis in March 2010, while with the Flyers.

Langkow missed from March 21, 2010, to April 1, 2011, after suffering a serious neck injury against Minnesota when he was hit on the spine by a puck that fractured a vertebrae. Langkow spent three seasons with the Flyers from 1998-2001.

Laperriere, who choked up on stage during his address, said he was honored to have the award presented by former Kings teammate and Hall of Famer Robitaille, who called Laperriere "one of his favorite teammates of all-time."

"I learned so much, on how to be a professional, from him," Laperriere said. "To see him every day, and see how he acted. I can't thank him enough."

Laperriere thanked a number of members in the Flyers organization - from Snider down through general manager Paul Holmgren, director of hockey operations Chris Pryor, communications director Zack Hill and McCrossin - and then paused for a moment.

He looked for his sons, Tristan, 9, and Zachary, 7, in the crowd to tell them he loved them.

"My family, I'm most proud of," Laperriere said. "I've been with my wife [Magali] for 21 years and she's the backbone of my family. To have her here, with my mom [Francine], means the world to me."

Laperriere has not announced his retirement and still has 1 year left on his contract. For now, will continue to work with the Flyers' prospects. He recently purchased a major junior team, the Montreal Juniors, in his hometown with a group of former NHL players.

"I don't think [the passion] for the game is ever going to leave me," Laperriere said. "I was born and raised in hockey in Montreal. It's something I found 32 years ago. I'm going to still stay in the game somehow. It's my life. I've had a good ride."

For more news and analysis,

read Frank Seravalli's blog, Frequent Flyers, at

www.philly.com/FrequentFlyers.