'Together forever'

It was Fred Shero who famously scribbled this adage on the chalkboard inside the Flyers' dressing room:

"Win today and we walk together forever."

Ian Laperriere did not win a Stanley Cup with the Flyers, though his grit and tenacity did help will the 2010 Flyers to the Stanley Cup final. But each day, Laperriere realizes more and more what that phrase - and what the Flyers' organization - means to its players.

Laperriere played just 82 games for the Flyers, one full season. But he has already become a "Flyer for life."

"With my injury, I think a lot of teams would have given you a firm handshake and said, 'Have a nice life,' " Laperriere said. "Not the Flyers. I can't say enough good things about them. They've given me every tool to try and succeed in the next part of my life."

Laperriere, 38, has painfully missed the last 136 regular-season games with post-concussion syndrome. Few can forget the gruesome images of the Paul Martin slap shot that nearly cost him the vision in his right eye. Or, the spot that appeared on a subsequent brain scan that revealed bleeding on the brain. Or, Laperriere's drive and determination to return just a few weeks for his one legitimate shot at Stanley Cup glory in his 15-year career.

After 28 more games, Laperriere's contract will expire. But he's already got a pretty good idea about what he wants to do for the rest of his life.

And it doesn't include moving back to his native Montreal or moving away from a hockey rink.

Though he's still on the Flyers' roster, Laperriere has spent the entire season flying around North America to mentor and keep tabs on nine of the team's recent draft picks.

He has been to Harvard to watch sixth-round pick Petr Placek; to Seattle to visit with fourth-rounder Marcel Noebels; to North Dakota to keep tabs on former fifth-round forward Michael Parks; and to Peterborough (Ontario) and Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) to see Derek Mathers and Nick Cousins.

Along the way, he has leaned on Flyers director of hockey operations Chris Pryor for help and advice.

"These are so many places that I've never been to before," Laperriere said. "I don't know my way around any of these places. It's all new to me.

"It can be an eye-opening thing. The biggest thing is to get to know these players, see what makes them work. Hockey is different now. When I broke in, the coach just threw you in there. Now, it's not about X's and O's so much. It's about coaches knowing what kind of guys they are, working to get the most out of them.

"Players today are different than my generation. And they're different than the generation that is playing right now. It takes some time to get used to it all."

For the young players, Laperriere is not overbearing like a teacher or coach. Instead, he is like that cool, older brother who most look up to - a confidant who has been there before and knows what it takes.

"Spending time with him last summer, it was probably the most productive summer of my life working out," Flyers rookie Matt Read said. "He has a way of lightening up a workout. He was always fun, but focused. He would tell you, 'You've got to work like this every day if you want to play in this league.' And he is a great speaker. There isn't a young player who wouldn't listen to him."

In the mean time, Laperriere and his wife, Magali, became United States citizens on Aug. 30 after their sons, Tristan (9) and Zach (7) were born here. He has built a new house in Haddonfield, N.J. He collected the Bill Masterton Trophy, for perseverance and dedication to the sport, at last summer's NHL awards show in Las Vegas - despite not playing in a single game last season. And he also has been a regular guest on Comcast SportsNet's Pre and Post-Game Live, though that's a bit of a challenge.

"I can talk hockey - and about this team - all day," Laperriere said. "But English is not my first language, so I hope people can understand. Plus, it makes it easy on my schedule, since they usually need me during the week and I travel to games on the weekends."

Even though Laperriere enjoys his work on television, he says he doesn't think that will be his career path of choice. But he appreciates the Flyers' openness to trying it.

"With the media, you can always stay close to the game," Laperriere said. "But I think I want to be a little bit closer than that. I've talked for sure about what I want to do next year, but we haven't made a decision. We're keeping it open, hopefully to resume after this team wins the Stanley Cup."

Moore bags Moby

An hour before the Flyers take on the Red Wings on Sunday night on the same channel, Flyers coach Peter Laviolette will appear on "Charlie Moore: No Offense" on the NBC Sports Network at 6:30 p.m.

After years of begging, Laviolette agreed to meet up with Moore - known as "the mad fisherman" - on Lake Waukewan in New Hampshire to catch bass and catch up last August.

Moore, a diehard Boston sports fan, also heads to Philadelphia in the show to visit with Laviolette - though it was the Flyers' coach who owned the bragging rights on this episode.

"I've got to be honest, I slammed the big fish," Laviolette bragged last week. "I'm not that good of a fisherman, not like Charlie. But I was able to get my lure under a dock one time and ripped out a 4-pound smallmouth bass. So, I do have the biggest fish on the show."

Slap shots

James van Riemsdyk, out since Jan. 12 with a concussion, participated in a few drills in practice on Friday. He said he had "no update" and that he feels "the same. It's tough to really say, I don't really feel much better" . . . The Flyers will wear their Winter Classic retro-style jerseys this afternoon against the Rangers . . . Today is "Kids Run the Show" day at Wells Fargo Center, where kids 14-and-under will perform various game-day responsibilities, such as serving as the in-arena announcer, the game presentation director, the national-anthem singer, radio broadcaster and more.