Ian Laperriere told to retire
Philadelphia Flyers forward Ian Laperriere has been advised by doctors to call it a career after he received a concussion while playing against the New Jersey Devils in last season's play-offs.
Laperriere received a slap shot to the face from Devils defenceman Paul Martin in game five of last season's Eastern Conference quarter-final series. Laperriere received 80-100 stitches and suffered a brain contusion that caused internal bleeding in his
brain.
Laperriere has admitted that he wasn't totally honest with the Flyers' medical staff about the extent of his symptoms, and he returned nearly four weeks later to continue competing during the Flyers' amazing run to the Stanley Cup final.
"It’s been almost six months since I was hit, and I don’t feel any better,"
said Laperriere, who continues to suffer from post-concussion syndrome.
"I'm not depressed, but there will be moments when the season starts that I wish I was there."
Laperriere has not made any official announcement about what he will do, and the Flyers are not ready to let his services go. They have placed him on injured reserve, rather than place him on the long-term injury list.
Laperriere admits that his main focus at the moment is not getting on the ice and back into competitive action, but on the importance of feeling better, as he contemplates what to do next.
"I'm not retiring now," Laperriere said in a phone conversation. "My main focus is getting better."
Laperriere also told the Courier-Post, "Hey, if this is it, I had a h**l of a run. I played a long time, I played a lot of games and I met a lot of nice people. I'm happy I didn't lose my eye. If it was a little bit lower, I'd be blind
right now. I don't know if I would have been able to deal with losing my eyesight. Every time I'm down on what's going on, I'm like, 'It's not like I'm 22 and I missed on a career.' I had a h**l of a career for a guy from where I came from."
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