After 16 seasons in the National Hockey league, Ian Laperrière officially retired as a player from hockey the day after the Stanley Cup was presented to the Los Angeles Kings, a team with whom he spent eight and a half seasons. By the end of June, 2012 he had been named the Philadelphia Flyers’ Director of Player Development, a position he currently holds. On Saturday afternoon, he’ll be honored at the first Legends Night of the 2012-13 season in a pre-game ceremony prior to the game against the Colorado Avalanche, a team with whom he spent four seasons. Earlier Friday, he sat down with LA Kings Insider to discuss his tenure with the Kings, the team’s 2001 playoff run, and how he was able to land a role in Judd Apatow’s This Is 40.
LA Kings Insider: How much of an honor is to be selected for a Legends Night?
Ian Laperrière: It’s very humbling for me, because I wasn’t a star by any means. I just was a guy who did his job and took pride of doing his job for his teammates. To be recognized like I’ll be tomorrow is very surreal for me and very humbling for me and my family.
LAKI: Is it a special perk that it was arranged around a home game versus Colorado?
IL: Yeah, I played there for four years, too. I have a lot of ties, too. I still have teammates on both benches. In Colorado, there are a couple guys I played with, and in L.A., there are a couple of teammates of mine when I played in Philly, and a couple guys when I played in Colorado. Dustin Brown’s still there from my days in LA. It’s great. Like, it’s very surreal. I’m a little bit nervous about going there and saying a few words to everybody, but I think I’ll be all right.
LAKI: Dustin Brown has mentioned you were instrumental in his maturation as a professional. What did you say or do to encourage him when he was breaking into the league?
IL: I’ve always been Mr. Positive. We had tough times when he broke in. We had struggle years even before he broke in. But I was always a guy who put the bright side of things. When you lose, it’s no fun for anybody. I didn’t enjoy losing. But I knew the sun was going to come up the next day, and I tried to put that mentality on those guys. It’s a long season. It’s a marathon, and you will have ups and downs. The thing is that you need more ups than downs. And Brownie was getting – not bullied. Because he was so young, some guys took advantage of that, and I kind of put a stop to that. I think he appreciated when I did that.
LAKI: The trade that brought you to Los Angeles was a major change to the constitution of the Kings. What was your initial reaction to the trade, and what do you remember about joining that locker room?
IL: I was very happy, I’ll be honest. I was with the Rangers, and my roommate was Lucky Luc Robitaille with the Rangers. I remember like it was yesterday – and I’ll say it tomorrow on the ice that story he told me – when I got traded, he goes, “go to L.A. Be yourself on and off the ice and people are going to love you.” And you know what? I felt the love for eight and a half years. He was right on. I was very happy, because I was with the Rangers [and] I wasn’t playing much. I was dressed every night but I was sitting on the bench, and they had an older team. They played with older guys. When we got traded to L.A., we knew that they were going to rebuild in L.A. and I’d be part of that, and I was very excited. And also, you’re 22 years old and you’re moving to Los Angeles. That’s not a bad thing, either. And I knew friends because with the Gretzky trade, they went to get Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat…and I played with them [with] the Blues, and we kind of all met with the same team. That’s where my career took off. L.A. gave me a chance to establish myself in the NHL, and I will never forget that.
LAKI: How were you able as a young player to quickly endear yourself to the LA fans?
IL: I took the advice from Luc at heart, and I was myself, and I always took pride of playing for my teammates and doing the right thing. If I needed to block a shot or fight for my teammates, I would do it. I really think people saw that in my play and they appreciated that, because I wasn’t a talented guy by any means. I just did my job and I took pride in it. I think people in the regular world, they don’t get appreciated for that. They do their work. They work hard, but sometimes they don’t get appreciated. And I think they could relate to what I was doing on the ice. Maybe not the most skilled, but I took pride in being the hardest worker out there.
LAKI: What came together for the 2000-01 Kings team that resulted in an upset series victory over Detroit?
IL: I don’t know. You always have that buzz. We knew we were down by [two] games, but we knew we weren’t playing that bad to be that down. We knew we had a chance then. That swagger that you hear about – we felt like we should have had better results for a couple of those games. We believed in ourselves, and I think Andy Murray did a great job making sure that everybody was believing in everybody. We had a hell of a run with a lot of talented players on that team – Deadmarsh, Palffy…it was something that I’ll never forget. It was something like my best playoff memories as a King, that’s for sure.
LAKI: How would you describe the experience of playing against Rob Blake in the second round that year?
IL: That was weird, because when the team made that trade, there was barely any chance that we’d meet them in the playoffs, and obviously we started winning. They started winning. And all of a sudden it looked like nobody thought we were going to beat Detroit. All of a sudden we beat Detroit, and we go play Blakey. It was nerve-wracking for him, for sure. For us it was Blakey, but it was the playoffs. As much as I’ve got respect for Blakey – I had it at the time, and I’m always going to have so much for the guy as a human being on and off the ice – everybody has a job to do, and go after him, because he’s one of the best players in the world. But it was weird. I’m sure it’s nothing compared to how he felt, for sure.
LAKI: I’m not necessarily sure how I feel one way or another about this, but had Ray Bourque not swatted Glen Murray’s goal-bound shot out of mid-air in Game 2 in that Colorado series, would we be sitting here, talking about the Kings’ 2001 Stanley Cup team?
IL: Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve. You know what, we gave our best. We didn’t win. It was a good run, but I don’t want to look back. I’m the kind of guy who was like, “That’s the past. We’ve got to look forward.” It was very disappointing. I was very disappointed. Everybody was. I really believed that we had that team. I was talking about the swagger. I really believed that that was our year. We struggled so much for so many years and everything seems to go together…I don’t want to look in the past. It was a great experience and great memories.
LAKI: Watching the Stanley Cup last spring, did you find yourself rooting for the Kings even as a member of the Philadelphia organization?
IL: Yeah, you know, I was happy for the guys, for the guys I played with and I was especially happy for the fans. Even when I left, I left in 2004. It’s nine years. I still have ties in this town and I still care about those fans because they’re the ones who pretty much gave me a chance to become an NHLer. I was happy for them. I was happy for the guys I played with. But I had a question asked, “Did you feel part of it?” I didn’t feel part of it at all. That was their moment. That’s their team. Even if I played there for eight-plus years, I had nothing to do with that Cup. I’m happy for them that they won it. It’s a great honor and they should enjoy it because it’s a tough thing to do in hockey today. There are 30 teams, and the parity in and around the league, you just never know the next time you’ll have a chance to win it.
LAKI: You’ve performed on camera several times, most notably in This is 40. Had you ever taken acting classes?
IL: I’m just a gifted individual. I’m that guy that likes to try everything, and I don’t care if I embarrass myself. I’ve done it before and I will do it again. This is 40 and Judd Apatow – they were looking for a hockey player without teeth. Before I got my implants, I got that connection. I just put my name out there. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Sure enough, a month later we’re here in L.A. filming for a day. It was a great experience. I don’t want to be an actor, but I’m all in. I need Rob Zombie to call me for that Flyers movie he’s doing. Call me, Rob. My kids won’t see [This is 40] any time soon, but maybe in the future when they see that on the big screen, it’ll be pretty cool.
LAKI: How big of a Judd Apatow fan are you?
IL: Huge fan. And I became a huge fan of him as a person, and his wife, Leslie Mann. They’re very nice people. Unbelievable. Really down to earth people. You hear those horror stories in Hollywood and everything, but he’s very down to earth. He was great to us.
LAKI: Are you excited to address the crowd tomorrow?
IL: Yeah, a little bit nervous. I don’t prepare speeches. I’ve always been like that. I want it to come from the heart. I’m an emotional guy, and hopefully emotion won’t take part of me. I’m just excited. I’m excited for my crew there, my kids to see that daddy’s not such a loser, you know he did something good in this town. They know. I’m just kidding. Like I said, it’s a humbling experience this weekend, and it’s going to be tomorrow. Great memories when I’m going to walk in that building and see everybody and all the fans, the Zamboni driver, the valet guys. It’s going to be a great day. I’m looking forward to it.
Great to see Lappy back in LA. My wife and I are in from Phoenix for a funeral. Want to go to the game tomorrow to get rid of the bad taste after the funeral. Looking for two tickets. Will have to pick up at will call or something because we’ll be arriving late. I hope I’m not pandering…pwrsk8@aol.com.
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Bradapiller Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 4:42 pm
@Bonvivant, stubhub.com is where i get my tickets, you can print them immediately most of the time.
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yuri Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 8:52 pm
@Bradapiller, staples has this thing called the last seat. you can get tickets at 50 % off.
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Shuchuk Reply:
February 23rd, 2013 at 7:16 am
@yuri, is that over the phone, Internet or box office?
Great interview, miss having Lappy on our team.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
February 23rd, 2013 at 11:40 am
@Bradapiller, I saw a lot of Lappy in Clifford, and now Clifford is even showing he can score.
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hey @phil sykes …. how did you manage to insert yourself into lappy s answer to the fiinal question there ….. lol lol …. just kidding peeps
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As @Bradapiller says, awesome interview and very evocative. Takes you right back to the early 2000s and those scintillating series vs the Wings and Avs, and makes you remember what a fantastic component Lappy was on the Kings in those days.
I wouldn’t put money against him finding his way into the Rob Zombie movie either. I reckon you could do him up a bit and he’d play a mean Bobby Clarke! Might have to do something about getting those implants temporarily taken out again, though.
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I wonder if Ian’s comment about “bullied” refers to Sean Avery. Avery was not very kind to Brown from what I’ve heard and read.
Serves Avery right that he is out of the league. I’ve always loved Lappy’s attitude and play on the ice. Now I love the guy even more!
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HockeyNerd Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:17 pm
@Lead feet, There are some athletes that conduct themselves with nothing but class. Them there are those like Sean Avery who cannot open their mouth for a fraction of a second without saying something stupid. I did not want him here as a King and I was very glad to see him go.
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RobSD Reply:
February 23rd, 2013 at 8:04 am
@Lead feet,
Can you elaborate on this more? I read or heard somewhere that he took a lot of guff for his lisp and speech. Brown’s a class act and Avery is for sure a prick. I have to admit though, I liked watching that little pest. I’m sure he was a cancer in the locker room though.
Brownie got the last laugh. He has a beautiful family and is a Stanley Cup winning captain, while Avery is…
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Definately in the 10 ten of all time favorite Kings. Love that guy. All heart and guts.
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Lappy is one of my all-time favorite Kings. I loved him even when he played for the opposition.
I still say that trade for Lappy, Norstrom and Ray Ferraro was one of the best the Kings ever made.
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Go Kings Go!
Thanks Jon good words
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Off topic: I have a question for anyone to answer.
A guy I work with told me something that I’ve been trying to fact check. This guy is the type of guy who thinks he knows everything, but 90% of the time, he has no idea what he’s talking about. For instance, in the past week he’s tried to convince me that the Kings’ defense, *fully healthy*, is horrible and the reason we lose games and that Mike Richards is soft (because he’s small). So today, he starts talking about Dustin Penner, and is telling someone that Penner was so out of shape that he now has, as part of his contract, a certain weight requirement that he must meet or else he’s out. My gut feeling is that this is another one of those instances when he’s talking out of his a**, but beyond general $$, I know next to nothing about player contracts. I tried googling it, but didn’t find much about it. Does anyone know if this is true, or close enough to be true that I shouldn’t call him on it?
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KC23 Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:38 pm
@FiG17, Guy is clearly talking out of his rear. His his last name Button by any chance?
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Lake Forest Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:41 pm
@FiG17, well I would call him out on a number of things including our defense. By the way who is his team so we can laugh at him?
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FiG17 Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:49 pm
@Lake Forest,
The truly sad thing is that he is a Kings fan. lol
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Cry Baby Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:43 pm
@FiG17, I actually think that might be true. Do you remember how astonished DL was at his lack of conditioning when he came over from Edm?
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kissmyblarneystones Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:48 pm
@Cry Baby,
Other sports do have conditioning clauses in there contracts.
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FiG17 Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:52 pm
@Cry Baby,
I know that he is under really tight scrutiny for a number of things, weight included, but the way this guy was explaining it was that there was a specific number he had to meet or his contract was void. Just knowing Penner, and his reputation, and the fact that he’s one of the most talked about players, I feel like if there was such a specific clause like that in his contract, I wouldn’t have to ask, because *everyone* would already know.
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phil sykes Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:17 pm
@FiG17, no dude …. the contract would never be void in the nhl …. all player contracts are guaranteed
DesertKing Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:43 pm
@FiG17,
His breath must stink since he is definitely talking out his a$$. He must be a Casucks or Guppies fan.
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I was living in Ireland at the time, so I missed his entire career.
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i find it starnge that on tsns main page – nhl page – that the days games are listed in west coast time … u never ever see that …… then u go to the scores section – clik for further breakdown of all the games and its back to the normal east coast time …………. and its this way everyday – not just today …… just find it strange ………… maybe somehow they know my computer is from the west coast …… i have no idea
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KC23 Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:39 pm
@phil sykes, that is weird.
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Cry Baby Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:44 pm
@KC23, Mine is mountain time…but I live in CO.
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KC23 Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:45 pm
@Cry Baby, Ah, okay I get it now I think. They’ve updated their web site to check on the users time zone and it automatically sets for that time zone … least that is my guess.
Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 5:47 pm
@kc
Not only that, they allow you to see certain video content based on your location.
kissmyblarneystones Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:03 pm
@phil sykes,
Your IP address can be identified by the website. It drops a cookie and places advertisements and other info, like time, that are particular to you. Which would explain all the porn and dating site ads your getting.
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phil sykes Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:22 pm
@kissmyblarneystones, yea thats what i thought . that my ip adress is what is the give away where i am ….. but it happens so instanteously when i clik on the site , i thought can they really tell that fast ….. i should have known – technology and computers – yeah it all can happen instanteously ….. my bad ………….. darn it ….. i really was beginiing to believe the world really does revolve around me after all …. but nah …. its just technology
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kissmyblarneystones Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:25 pm
@phil sykes,
Welcome to the The Digital Age
Got pix with Lappy last night at the Poker Shootout. Super cool guy. All the ex Kings and Bob & Jim rocked.
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I always loved Lappy.
Always loved Blake too, don’t understand the hatred for him. He was an UFA and signed with SJ, AND…. Am I missing something? Do we hate him because he chose another team? Really?? If I remember correctly he was an UFA a good part of the summer. I don’t think the King wanted him or thought he would be too much $. It took awhile before he signed with SJ and when he did it was for less money than most people thought he would sign for. I thought he made it clear his desire was to play in LA. Either way, it didn’t work out. Hockey is his career right? He didn’t owe LA anything. He didn’t ask to be traded. LA was rebuilding, maybe it didn’t want to do that at the end of his career. God knows he played on enough bad Kings teams. Didn’t Ray Bourque leave Boston the end of his career for one last chance at a cup?
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HockeyNerd Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:25 pm
@Osaka, I think it stems from the fact that the Kings wouldn’t meet his contract demands and he ended up playing in Colorado.
Mixed feelings. On the one hand you have to do what’s best for yourself. If you feel he should have been more loyal to the Kings, how about situations where the shoe was on the other foot? Do some of you wish Gretzky had absolutely insisted he would stay in Edmonton?
But (to be fair this kind of thing is more on the press than the player) I think he was extremely overrated. Shot about 5 shots wide for every one that hit the net and wasn’t as good defensively as most think. Won a Norris trophy when he was -3 that season and didnt deserve it.
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empire Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:30 pm
@HockeyNerd,
Agreed.
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phil sykes Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:57 pm
@Osaka, because 8 million dollars wasnt good enough for him ….. what lieweike offered ……….. hes a me first guy …. good riddance …….. and he was overrated as well …… one of the best trades we ever made …….. too bad deadmarsh and miller had all that injury trouble …. oh well ………………… i mean do u think kopi is going to bolt when his contract is up and can probably get a lil more on the open market ? …. i , for one , do not ….. and thats the difference between the 2 individuals
and no , this wasnt like robitaille or other players who go elsewhere – like all players do . its because they are being lowballed because of thier age or performance or whatnot – so they test the open market to see if other teams will offer them more money …………. this was 8 million dollars …….. more than generous ….. and more than fair
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Osaka Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 9:01 pm
@phil sykes, If he was overrated then who cares? Why any feelings either way?
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phil sykes Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 9:18 pm
@Osaka, i just explained above .. not hard to understand my statement
NOW IMPRESSED Reply:
February 23rd, 2013 at 8:57 am
@phil sykes, Just wondering, are you going to hate Lappy just because he has respect for Blake?
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phil sykes Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 7:03 pm
@Osaka, and we are talking about the first time he left .. when he was still pretty much close to in his prime for a defensemen … age 30 or 31 ……………. this was not a one last chance at the cup type deal …….. that was the second time he left …… and no self respecting kings fan should have wanted lombardi to sign him in the first place – the second time around
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Osaka Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 9:00 pm
@phil sykes, I want him to signed now! Make him an assistant coach.
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Jon G Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 8:39 pm
@Osaka, Rob Blake was my favorite player until he forced a trade. What upset me was that he told everyone he was only going to be a rental player for the rest of that season, which really reduced the Kings’ negotiating leverage. Somehow we got Deadmarsh and Aaron Miller back in return, which is pretty remarkable.
To top it off, Blake did indeed sign a contract with the Avalanche.
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Osaka Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 8:59 pm
@Jon G, So it was from the trade to CO, I thought everyone hated him because he signed with SJ. Hey, he won the cup in CO so it was the right move. I don’t blame him at all for that. Smart move.
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NOW IMPRESSED Reply:
February 23rd, 2013 at 8:50 am
@Osaka, I agree completely. What a conundrum for you guys who love Lappy and hate Blake. Lappy has nothing but respect for Blake.
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Monarchs tie franchise record 5 goals in a period. Pearson 2 goals, Toffoli yet another. Still a period to go.
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puck73 Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:29 pm
@KC23, Wow, that line is doing really well.
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KC23 Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:44 pm
@KC23, Kozun with 2 goals as well.
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KC23 Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:47 pm
@KC23, Pearson sets up Vey, he SCORES!
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KC23 Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 6:52 pm
@KC23, Everyone likes to point at Toffoli in Manchester, but Vey is quietly leading Manchester in points with a butt load of assist. Love to get a look at Vey in place of Stoll.
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jet Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 10:59 pm
@KC23, vey still has a small structure. I’d let him finish up in Mancheter this year. Saying that I love his game.
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Love to have Lappy back in LA. Hope he stays.
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33 years ago today – “Do you believe in miracles? !”
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Neil Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 7:00 pm
@DesertKing, YES !!!! The Kings won the Stanley Cup …Right????
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DesertKing Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 7:05 pm
@Neil,
Close. Al Michaels was there too.
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Neil Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 7:37 pm
@DesertKing, I know what you are talking about….i was just answing in my way……
LOVE THAT GUY!!!
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Lappy was not only a fan favorite wherever he played but was also a hockey player’s hockey player. He had the respect of every player in the league along with some who didn’t like playing against him, but always was respected.
Good on him and his family. Congratulations on your night, Lappy!
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always loved lappy, I tried to make it out to poker night to meet him, but traffic was brutal. maybe catch him in Philly one day. He id a perfect fit there
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There are LA Kings fans, Colorado Avalanche fans and Philadelphia Flyers fans. And we all share one common bond:
We are ALL Lapi fans, and we’ll be forever!!
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I’ll never forget the playoff game in the Forum when the Blues’s Geoff Courtnall ran the Kings’ goaltender and the Kings ended up getting all the penalties because he turtled when he got roughed up for it. The entire team was demoralized, and poor Lappy seemed like the only King out there on something like a 7-minute kill.
The man never gave up, even when it was hopeless.
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One of my all-time favorite players. Win or lose, Lappy came to play every game and with a lot of heart. So great that the Kings honor him and wish him the very best.
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Lappy in the dressing room between periods would never take his uniform or helmet off.
He was a tue team player. All the best lappy you deserve it….
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