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Former player turned coach Laperriere plans to emulate Larry Robinson

Ian Laperriere

Ian Laperriere #14 of the Philadelphia Flyers shouts instructions to a teammate in his game against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Wachovia Center on March 13, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (March 12, 2010 - Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

There’s been a lot of attention given to Craig Berube thanks to his recent ascension from assistant to head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, but he’s not the only member of that staff that’s been given a new opportunity.

Just a few years removed from his last NHL game, Ian Laperriere has moved from his role as director of player development to serve as an assistant coach under Berube. He’ll be in charge of guiding the team’s penalty kill, which is a key area for any club, but especially the Flyers given how much trouble they’ve had staying out of the sin bin.

As a player, Laperriere looked to emulate those he played with to improve over the course of his 1,083-game career. As a coach, he’s looking to do the same thing by using some of the tactics that he liked from his past bench bosses.

“Larry Robinson was a guy I really liked with his approach,” Laperriere told CSN Philly. “He’s a real good assistant. He’s personable, has a great pedigree. He won so many Cups and is in the Hall of Fame.

“But his biggest quality is how he talks to guys and how he makes them feel like he cares about them and wants to make them better. That’s what our job is -- to help those guys become better. If they make the team better, everyone will be happy.”

Laperriere also admires Andy Murray, who he felt was the best coach he played for when it came to being prepared for an upcoming game. At the same time, he also played under controversial head coach Mike Keenan and will be avoiding many of his tactics.

“Those coaches don’t last,” Laperriere said, adding that Keenan scared him.

Overall, Laperriere plans to just be himself and not change because of the job. He wants to see the Flyers players put an emphasis on conditioning while also staying upbeat.

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