The unfortunate news has trickled through from the Flyers organization that goaltender Michael Leighton and veteran forward Ian Laperriere will be out much longer than originally reported. Leighton’s absence has been raised to 6-8 weeks with a back injury, while Laperriere will likely miss the entire season, possibly ending his career. The original news regarding their respective injuries in depth was covered in my late September article: Troubled Flyers Lose Leighton & Lappy.Michael Leighton had suffered from a bulging disc in his lower back over the summer, and re-aggravated it during pre-season in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Team personnel and doctors had originally believed the back injury would not require surgery, but instead require about a month’s time to heal.
“I kind of dealt with it a little bit in playoffs last year,” said Leighton. “It wasn’t bothering me when I was playing, it was just more of an off-ice thing, when I was stretching it was stiff. I did deal with it in the summer. I got some tests done and it wasn’t very severe in the summer. All through training camp it was still there, but it didn’t bother me on the ice so I just kind of worked through it. I was told to do exercises and work through it. Then in that Toronto game it kind of jumped to a new level and totally did different things. I’m obviously disappointed with the way it went.”
On Friday, the decision came through via GM Paul Holmgren that for the betterment long-term for both he and the Flyers, he will undergo surgery on Monday, putting him out 6 to 8 weeks.
“We didn’t really know that much about it until he had an issue in the summertime, and we’re still not certain it was related to this,” said Holmgren via conference call. “It is what it is now. What’s cropped up here lately is the weakness in his legs. The doctors just want to get ahead of it, and they think this is the best way to deal with it right now. So that’s what we’re doing.”
Leighton has worked incredibly hard throughout his career, never really having the easiest road. Leighton, 29, will have to put his 7th NHL season on hold for a bit longer, but remains positive and is ready to do whatever it takes to get back on the ice.
“Obviously I want to get back and jump right back in there and play a lot of games,” added Leighton. “That was kind of my goal this year was to play a lot. Obviously this injury has set me back from my goal, but it doesn’t mean that when I get back I don’t’ want to play. So I’m jumping right back in there and I want to play the games.”
In the mean time, veteran goaltender Brian Boucher and rising star Sergei Bobrovsky will cover for his absence. Bobrovsky made his NHL debut in the Flyers’ first game of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bobrovsky, 22, became the youngest goaltender ever to start the season for the Flyers as he stole the show, getting the win, and stopping .935 percent of the shots he faced in a 3-2 victory.
The Flyers have dealt with injuries in net and have been able to overcome. Last year Leighton, Boucher, and Emery all suffered at various points in the year, even AHL depth goaltender Johan Backlund required surgery after an injury he sustained just two periods of play in last year’s season opener in the AHL. In all, the Flyers started five different goaltenders, a total of seven different faces on the bench, and still made it all the way to the Finals.
A giant part of their success last year was from the rugged veteran Ian Laperriere.
Flyers’ fans and team members’ hopes and aspirations for Ian Laperriere’s recovery were shattered with the announcement that the gritty heart and soul veteran will likely not suit up at all this year, and will likely be forced into retirement.
“It’s been almost six months since I was hit, and I don’t feel any better,” said Laperriere. “I’m not depressed, but there will be moments when the season starts that I wish I was there.”
Laperriere suffered a concussion and broken orbital bone from a slapshot to the face in the first round of the Playoffs against the New Jersey Devils. There aren’t many players in the league (or in any sport for that matter) that play with as much heart and determination as Ian Laperriere. He returned, right or wrong, to finish the post season still ailing from the concussion and 60 to 70 stitches in an effort to win the Stanley Cup that has eluded him through his 16 year career.
“In three months, I’ll be 37,” Laperriere said. “I’ve played the game a long time, and if it has to end this way, I have no regrets.”
Lappy brought more to the team than grittiness. His loss, being placed on Injured Reserve for the moment, hits hard in every aspect for the team. He won’t dazzle you with highlight reel goals, or lead the team in ice time, but he will give his heart and soul to every shift he’s given. The penalty kill, checking line, locker room, general on and off-ice presence is, and always has been, a key to every team he’s played for’s success. Ian Laperierre is a warrior.
His decision to come back from a medical perspective was the absolute wrong one. He lied to doctors, management, coaches, and teammates and endangered his life to get back on the ice. That is, though, the Lappy that you have to love and respect. He has poured all of his being into this great game to taste the victory that is Lord Stanley’s Cup, and it is an absolute heartbreak that his dream may have come to an end.
Should you not make it back, Ian, here’s to you for showing the fans and young players throughout your career what it means to be a hockey player in the best league in the world.
- Kendall Grubbs
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