Ian Laperriere of the Philadelphia Flyers proved again tonight that hockey is not for the faint of heart. In the third period of the Flyers 3-0 series-clinching victory over the New Jersey Devils, Ian Laperriere laid down to block a Paul Martin shot from the point and did so. With his face.
Laperriere hopped up holding his face with a trail of blood behind him and headed immediately to the locker room. According to Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News, Laperriere had this to say about what happened after the game.
“I was asking Jimmy [McCrossin, the trainer] if my eye was still there. I couldn’t see out of it.”
“I want to see my children grow up with both eyes.”